Review of Brother

Hermano is an intense yet heartfelt film about the bonds of brotherhood and family. I really liked the characters in this film because they were real and imperfect. I feel like American films sometimes leave out the rawness and imperfections of their characters. What I really didn't like about this film was the intense violence. I have seen many violent Latin American movies in the past few weeks; however, the violence in this movie felt more personal because I could relate to the two teenage boys, and it seemed more graphic. I think it was very honorable that Daniel (and Julio) were using their soccer skills to improve their lives and get out of the cycle of poverty. After their mom was killed, Julio became very angry and seemed to resort to the gang lifestyle, but Daniel used his influence to get himself and Julio a possible contract with FC Caracas, the national professional soccer club. The two boys helped balance each other out personality wise, and I found their love and loyalty, especially that of Daniel, to be inspirational and endearing. Overall, Hermano was a good movie, but I would only give it 3.5/5 stars because of the graphic violence.