Blood Brother

    When I first heard about Blood Brother being shown, I didn't think much of it. I thought it was just some random student film about India, man was I wrong. I found that out after actually finding it on Rotten Tomatoes. I said to myself, "Wow, this is actually an early screening." So Thursday came around and I was pumped to go.
   From about 8 to 9:30 I was hit with so much sadness, happiness, love, loss, everything. I never thought I could have experienced India through a film. As Rocky lived his life I couldn't help but envy his brave decisions. I mean, how many of us would actually go out to India essentially for the heck of it? Then once he was dealing with the children with HIV I cringed a little bit. It's not a very enjoyable time to see children pass before they become an adult, I don't believe I could ever do it. This is what makes the film so great, Rocky's determination and love for these children is outstanding. I truly loved the message of the film, but as most things, there's a downside, even if it is tiny.
   I understand that the film was a documentary and shots aren't exactly planned, but at some points the sun's glare and extreme shaky cam became disorienting. A very minor and hard to control nitpick though. I only found fault with one other thing. When still images were used, there was some kind of filter thing in between the camera and the image. It looked as if one second we were looking through someone else's prescription glasses. The image would be on screen for ten seconds, but we would only see it for five. The Ken Burns effect would have been just fine. Now for technical aspects that I loved.
   The first scene of the film is Rocky trying to save the dying girl, I unfortunately don't recall her name. That was almost as if Steve Hooper, the director, was setting the tone for the film. It set a very dark and quite terrifying tone, but that's the point. As I said, the film is loaded with different emotions, but sadness and loss are nearly constant. So the film essentially opens up with the lowest point, allowing the audience to deal with the rest with ease. A great editing technique if you ask me. Another great strategy was when Rocky called in sadness about the one boy nearly dying. The audio was heart-wrenching, but the darkness on screen empowers it to the max. Something along the lines of why David Fincher films are darkish green all the time. It's to subliminally convey the tone of the scene, or film as a whole.
   With great strategies such as those, they more than make up for the minuscule problems I found with the film. So, for those that did not attend the screening, find it somewhere and watch it! You will not regret it, promise.