‘Brother’ Review: Fate Deals an Unforgiving Hand in Director Clement Virgo’s Memorable Debut
variety.comRene Rodriguez The spirit of Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” weighs heavily, both thematically and stylistically, on “Brother,” a drama about two brothers growing up in a low-income Toronto suburb that lacks the grace and eloquence of the 2016 Best Picture Oscar winner.
But even if writer-director Clement Virgo, adapting David Chariandy’s 2017 novel, can’t achieve the sustained aura of ineffable melancholy he’s striving for, the film still hits some lovely notes of grace and poignance that rise above the script’s manipulative nature. “Brother” also benefits from sterling performances by its two leads: Lamar Johnson as the reserved teenager Lamar and Aaron Pierre as his hulking older brother Michael.
The two live with their overworked single mother (Marsha Stephanie Blake) in a cramped apartment in the low-income Toronto suburb of Scarborough, which is populated primarily by immigrants.
Alternating between three timelines, the bulk of the story is set in the early 1990s, when Lamar is coming of age, juggling high school with his first romantic relationship while keeping bullies at bay.
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