Brother

aka: Brat
Russian Federation 1997, 96 minutes
Dir. Aleksei Balabanov
In Russian with English subtitles
Rating: [R18]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Suspense

Feat. Sergei Bodrov Jr

Aroview: Grimily captivating thriller follows a baby-faced veteran of the Chechen war as he quietly 'assists' his brother in the St Petersburg ganglands.

Using his combat skills with ruthless efficiency, he enters the fray with various 'Mafiyas', independent operators, homeless drunkards and other lost souls of contemporary capitalist Russia. Remarkable as vivid window into this underbelly world, dir. Balabanov manages his stoic, cold-blooded characters with black humour, social observation and wincingly violent action scenes. A hit in its home country and with festival audiences abroad.

NZ International Film Festival 1998