John Hart

A film can provide great social and political commentary as well as a different lens to view the environment in which a person exists. Contemporary Russia is manipulated by hundreds of underworld organizations that are networked throughout the country. The film Brother does a wonderful job in utilizing older film stock to paint a grittier and rougher portrait of the streets of St. Petersburg. The story’s theme of searching for identity is successfully played out through the character of Danila, who literally wanders through the streets trying to find his foothold in society. The music and cinematography are used effectively in conveying Danila’s search for his sense of self and place in the greater scheme of things.

Brother centers around a young man who goes in search of his older brother as well as his sense of purpose in life. His ventures through the city show him a world based on extortion, drugs, and murder to name a few, and sees the people who manipulate what is left of the Russian system. Danila comes to the realization that in order to survive he must become a manipulator as well, but he will do so on his own terms and with his own style.

From the beginning of the movie it is made obvious that Danila is intrigued with music, and even more specifically Nautilus. In the first five minutes of the movie he carelessly wanders onto a movie set because he is drawn by the music being played. Then for much of the remainder of the film Danila wanders through St. Petersburg seemingly to his own personal soundtrack, which the audience is also able to hear. In effect, the director is trying to put the audience in sync with Danila’s nomadic travels through the city and create an atmosphere of identification with the protagonist. The audience identifies with him because, like him, we do not realize where we are going and are simply walking along to the beat of our own drum.

Another interesting point about Danila’s walks is the way in which they are shot. The audience sees Danila weaving in and out of different parts of the city and its streets through the use of medium and long shots. The director seems to make a point in framing Danila from a distance to show the overwhelming nature of the city. It also seems to imply what the German says about having to be strong in order to survive and overcome the city. The viewer watches as the main character is swallowed up by the labyrinth of back alleys and crowds of people that make up this new environment.

As the story progresses, Danila finds his niche in contract killings. The two scenes in which he is preparing his weapons for battle the director uses a series of very close-up shots of Danila’s hands and the parts being organized. The non-diagetic sound playing within these scenes goes along with the shots of his hands and creates a sense that the protagonist is conducting his instruments of war. A little later the walkman and music that used to lead Danila through the city as a sort of mystical force is blasted right off of his hip. He does not need it anymore because he is able to make his own music now with a sawed-off shotgun.

Balabanov’s film takes the audience as well as the character of Danila in and out of the city of St. Petersburg. He weaves in and out of the streets and lives of various characters with his raw footage and stylistic approach. The use of music and well coordinated camera shots succeeds in capturing the search and discovery of one young Russian in the midst of a contemporary and corrupt city searching for its own identity amidst the new social order.