Brother Is The Best Movie You Didn't Get Around To Watching Last Month
(Welcome to Under the Radar, a column where we spotlight specific movies, shows, trends, performances, or scenes that caught our eye and deserved more attention ... but otherwise flew under the radar. In this edition: Lamar Johnson and Aaron Pierre are the standouts in Clement Virgo's bracing "Brother," "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is an unforgettably taut environmental thriller, and "You Hurt My Feelings" keeps writer/director Nicole Holofcener's winning streak going.)
If there's one thing that movie fans should recognize in the midst of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA's dual strikes, it's this: Films don't disappear the minute they end their original theatrical runs. Despite what studios would have you believe, the home release side of the equation involves several crucial factors such as residuals (which remain a top priority among writers and actors), transparency in streaming views, and more. But more to the point, ask any writer, director, or actor about what they hope to accomplish with their work and they'll likely respond that the greatest affirmation is producing something that stands the test of time and brings viewers back repeatedly over the years. As undeniably important as the theatrical landscape is, there's just something to be said for projects — particularly mid-budget, adult-minded features — receiving a second wind with viewers at home.
That brings us to the theme I inadvertently stumbled upon with this month's column of under-the-radar releases. Between the utterly brilliant (and emotionally devastating) "Brother," the righteously controversial "How to Blow Up a Pipeline," and the understated, slice-of-life joys of "You Hurt My Feelings," here are three prime examples of movies that may only truly find their intended audiences during their respective home releases. So without further ado, here are the best movies you missed from the month of August.
Brother
From this point on, consider any "Best Movies of 2023" list to be woefully incomplete if it doesn't feature "Brother" at or near the very top. One of the best-looking and best-edited films of the year, boasting an absolutely killer trio of central performances between Lamar Johnson ("The Hate U Give," "The Last of Us"), Aaron Pierre ("The Underground Railroad" and, of course, the scene-stealing rapper Mid-Sized Sedan from M. Night Shyamalan's "Old"), and Marsha Stephanie Blake ("Orange is the New Black," "How to Get Away with Murder"), "Brother" tells the tender, heartrending, and deeply moving story of a pair of Canadian brothers navigating life as Black second-generation immigrants of a single mother. Balancing stories from three very different points in their lives — childhood, young adulthood, and the bleak aftermath of a decade-old tragedy — writer/director Clement Virgo's script (based on the novel of the same name by David Chariandy) weaves together these separate vignettes with laser-like precision.
Constantly living in the shadow of his older, attractive, and supremely confident brother Francis (Pierre), Michael (Johnson) serves as our main lens through which the rest of the narrative unfolds. Within minutes of screen time, we delve into their childhood as Francis takes care of Michael while their overworked mom Ruth (Blake) provides for them, their teenage years in high school where both brothers take steps to take control of their lives, and in a much chillier timeline years in the future where Francis' absence is glaringly felt. All throughout, the two remain inseparable despite the best attempts of gang violence, racially profiling cops, and a society at large that all seem to be working against them. "Brother" defies easy labels to stand out as an essential must-watch of 2023.
"Brother" is available to rent or purchase digitally.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Climate activism has never looked more urgent, accessible, and adrenaline-pumping than it does in director Daniel Goldhaber's finely crafted and thoroughly unflinching "How to Blow Up a Pipeline." (You can check out /Film's review by Erin Brady here.) Any movie that begins with a shifty-looking character strolling through the streets of a city before slashing the tires of an unnamed individual and leaving behind a manifesto of sorts knows exactly what emotions it's trying to incite, and the script (credited to Goldhaber, Ariela Barer, and Jordan Sjol) follows through on this by turning very real-world fears about the state of our planet into a very literal call to arms — a measure of last resort for these characters who have been used up and disposed of by an uncaring capitalist machine.
As the title makes abundantly clear, the film wastes no time throwing audiences headfirst into the mission masterminded by this young and diverse group of eco-terrorists ... before abruptly pulling back and walking us through the personal backstories of each of the characters involved. Ariela Barer as the relentlessly driven Xochitl, Forrest Goodluck as the fatalistic Michael, and the always-incredible Sasha Lane as Theo all make an absolute meal of their roles, putting faces to a crisis that threatens to overwhelm us into complacency. Instead, the provocative film shocks us into action through the single-minded focus of its unlikely "heroes," all of whom have survived the worst the world can throw at them and are finally ready to dish it right back.
Part-thriller and part-heist film, "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" transcends its own trappings to become something else entirely: an angry, cathartic, and inspiring example of art as activism.
"How to Blow Up a Pipeline" is currently streaming on Hulu.
You Hurt My Feelings
With a premise that seems doomed to be dismissed as pretentious or unrelatable or any number of silly criticisms, "You Hurt My Feelings" nevertheless stands tall as precisely the kind of low-stakes (yet surprisingly enthralling) movie we simply don't get enough of these days. (For more on that, you can read /Film's review by Chris Evangelista here.) Starring the effervescent Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as insecure novelist Beth and a perfectly-cast Tobias Menzies as her cloyingly supportive therapist husband Don, writer/director Nicole Holofcener's latest drama takes the most mundane of all marriage complications — a wife catching her husband in the whitest of lies — and charts how such a small act of deception can threaten to upend an entire marriage.
After giving out nothing but compliments and praise for her latest work in progress, Beth overhears Don complaining to his brother-in-law Mark (Arian Moayed) about how much he secretly dislikes her novel. Rather than shrug this off, Beth initially decides to keep this betrayal to herself before she ultimately begins to spiral. As we wait for the other shoe to drop, Holofcener imbues this scenario with heart, humor, and a wonderfully self-aware gaze thanks to the focus on a deep bench of supporting cast members. Owen Teague brings a deft touch as their underachieving son Eliot, an aspiring writer and current employee of a marijuana dispensary, but some of the best and most hilarious moments come from actors Zach Cherry, David Cross, and Amber Tamblyn as three of Don's more troublesome therapy patients.
In the end, "You Hurt My Feelings" doesn't reinvent any wheels; but tune in to its quiet, talky, and understated wavelength and you'll find plenty of unexpected rewards.
"You Hurt My Feelings" is now available to purchase or rent digitally and on DVD/Blu-ray.