Blood Brother is a breathtaking film packed with humanity. It chronicles the life of ROCKY BRAAT, a young American who, on a trip to India, finds himself volunteering at a group home for kids with HIV. With Rocky and the irrepressible children, it’s love at first sight and their lives soon become intertwined.
Fortunately for Rocky and film audiences, his good friend STEVE HOOVER just happens to be a gifted filmmaker. Skeptical at first, Hoover is persuaded to travel to India and document Rocky’s exploits. The result is a powerful and eloquent depiction of the situation at the group home, illuminating Rocky, the plight of the kids, village life in India, and the nature of love, amongst other things.
There’s scarcely a need to go into further detail about Blood Brother. Yes, it’s well-made, even unexpectedly stylized at certain points. But more than that it’s a transformative experience. Brilliantly, it compels us to watch things that are very hard to watch, yet does so with such love and tenderness that we never feel the need to turn our heads. Buoyed by Rocky’s courage, we feel that we too can look into the heart of suffering and face it with newfound resolve and compassion.
In a Q&A session at the Royal, Hoover related that all ticket revenue from Blood Brother will be donated to a non-profit recently founded to support Rocky’s work. If that’s not enough you can also donate directly HERE.
For Laemmle audiences Blood Brother is yet another example of film transcending entertainment, commerce, and one might argue, even art. It’s a must see.
– Marc H.