Set around the theme of broken love between two brothers Adam and his vulnerable younger brother LIAM, across two separate days, five years apart. This is Michael J Long’s social drama Baby Brother.
The Northern kitchen-sink drama emerged in the late 50s and early 60s and focused on the lives of working-class people in Northern England, often dealing with themes of poverty, violence, and social deprivation. They completely changed the way film was made and remain an ever-present feature on our cinema and TV screens. Set in and around Liverpool and its council estates, Baby Brother is an unforgiving brutal, and powerful addition to this subgenre, and with his astonishing debut, director Michael J Long announces himself as a genuine directorial force.
Adam and Liam are two brothers brought up in a broken home, their mother is hooked on drugs and her layabout boyfriend is no better. The brothers stick together as much as they can with Adam trying his best to pay off his family’s drug debts while also making sure Liam goes to school and behaves himself, so he doesn’t get caught up in the same trap Adam has found himself in. As the ugly and poverty-stricken environment they have both grown up in begins to envelop them, it becomes apparent quite early on that there is no real hope for either of them.
An unrelentingly bleak, gritty, and realistic Northern British film, Baby Brother is a very difficult watch the audience will find no respite from the grim darkness of reality here; there is no light at the end of this tunnel and there is certainly no happy ending. But what we do get is one of the most powerful and honest depictions of family generational trauma for many, many years.
Director Long, and his cinematographer David Short, give Baby Brother a documentary-like feel, by immersing the viewer in the characters’ lives. This is characterized by the use of handheld cameras, natural lighting, and close-up shots. These techniques help to plunge us into the action and create a sense of immediacy. There are also many long takes, which allows Long to capture the flow of everyday life. The film has moments that are more stylized, with flashbacks taking place 5 years earlier, fleshing out the two brother’s story. These scenes are filmed in black and white so are easy to keep track of and they create a more atmospheric film, that still feels grounded in reality. The cinematography of Baby Brother is essential to its success, as it helps to create a sense of realism and authenticity.
Each actor also excels, bringing their A-game to the film, and managing to capture the raw emotion and vulnerability of their characters; this is vividly seen in the lead performance of Paddy Rowan as Adam, there is no sense of artifice in his role. Instead, he seems to be simply being himself. This can be jarring at first, as Adam is no hero and does a lot of questionable and unlawful things, but it is ultimately very effective. It allows the audience to connect with him on a deeper level and makes him the heir apparent to Stephen Graham.
Michael J Long has succeeded in creating a powerful visual language that enhances his storytelling, Baby Brother is raw, intense, and unflinching in its depiction of difficult subjects, and offers a potent and disturbing portrait of British society. It’s a film that will resonate with audiences long after the end credits roll.
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