BROTHERS | Omeleto Drama

Two brothers meet a stranger who gives them a new way to live.
BROTHERS is used with permission from Pete Schilling. Learn more at peteschilling.com.
Two brothers are hiking up a mountainside. Despite the beautiful scenery, the trip is tense. Tom and Noah haven't spent time in a while, and Noah is not happy to be there. He hates hiking, and his attitude is grumpy and negative.
But as it turns out, Noah is more than just a curmudgeon. He's depressed, and recently took drastic action to end his pain, something that the pair try to reckon with. But just as the trip begins to deteriorate, a stranger comes into their midst and gives them a new way of looking at things.
Directed and written by Pete Schilling, this powerful and beautifully crafted short drama examines how mental health struggles affect not just sufferers, but also their families and loved ones, who may not understand how to best help. The film opens with a series of stunning shots of the mountains, but the beauty of the gorgeous cinematography is undercut by the sound of the brothers bickering. Tom and Noah have personality and temperament differences, but their time together reveals a bigger schism, with Tom struggling to understand Noah's depression.
Tom is taking Noah on a trip to cheer him up, but Noah knows that his mental illness won't be cured so easily, and he's frustrated by Tom's inability to understand that depression is not the same as sadness. As a result, Tom's attempts to cheer Noah up land badly, creating more friction and making Noah angrier. That friction gets a reprieve when they meet a stranger on the trail and enjoy a night at an inn. The addition of another presence in the unit also brings more tension and pressure into the group, especially when Noah realizes Tom has told the stranger of his struggles.
The storytelling weaves in their conversations in an impressionistic manner, working more like music than a straightforward narrative, and the result foregrounds the film's themes more strongly. Actor Philipp Christopher's layered performance is an anchor through the ebbs and tides, capturing the insight that depression can manifest itself as irritation and anger, as well as an overwhelming need to be left alone out of shame. Slowly we piece together Noah's background, as well as a fuller picture of how depression has caused him to push away his loved ones.
Played by actor Alexander Martschewski with boyish optimism and growing frustration, Tom, too, reaches his breaking point with Noah and is ready to give up on his brother. But then the presence of the stranger comes gently to the fore, revealing a gentle acceptance and compassion that proves an alternate route for the two brothers to connect. Finding that median between frustrated abandonment and well-meaning cheering-up finally gives Noah some space to accept the support he's offered, and brings catharsis to the conclusion of BROTHERS.

[@towelanyirongo212]

Sometimes what can save us is a simple understanding of how we feel, to be assured that we have others willing to go through it with us and not a constant need to be corrected by others.

[@Prizzy999]

Happiness doesn't come from achievements and success, but from a deep sense of belonging and harmony that comes from within. You don't find happiness outside of yourself, you just rediscover the happiness you've already had since birth.
Depression is being stuck in our minds and all the lies that it tells us.
Beautiful short, very intense.

[@charlottebloch]

Great movie ! Great and believable plot and character impersonations ! Wonderful scenery...beautiful music...Bravo

[@YoreBeatenPath]

I love this theme and topic as I’ve been on the same trail, mountain, inn, and lake. Water is emotion and it was unfortunately shallow and it’s so much deeper but the theme of Noah becoming his own Ark was satisfying. Somehow Noah didn’t really come through as believable to me. Every case is different yet I couldn’t really see the pain in his eyes that’s usually there. The script didn’t allow him to convey his thoughts and feelings into words to reveal the shame, self hatred, anhedonia, and despair lying underneath his irritability, anger, and need to self isolate.
The stranger’s character hit very well and Tom was believable as the neurotypical sibling (or parent or best friend) who just can’t relate.

[@sunnypatel4660]

Is it me or does the old dude in the video look like Jeff Goldblum?