At first glance Brat, (Brother), comes across as a grim and humorless portrayal of post-Cold War Russia, but beneath the surface it is a strong critique of the dangerous wounded animal that the country has become: mass poverty, crime, alienation of the youth and failing family structure all act as dramatic catalysts in the system, adding to the problems and attitudes of 1990s Russia. Our vantage point revolves around the young Danila and follows through with his reintroduction to life outside the military, into the city. Although Danila is surrounded by the gloom and doom of the Communist aftermath where social structures are collapsing into near anarchy, he remains an allegorical symbol of the state of Russia's acute sense of right and wrong and offers hope for a brighter future and some semblance of a moral code.
In St. Petersburg Viktor is successful, but we find that it is at being a hit-man for the Russian mafia, which is also making him paranoid. After tying up Dani in a scheme to take out a competitive Chechen mob boss in his stead while simultaneously usurping the Russians, Dani is now in over his head with the mob, and becomes a killer. Meanwhile each character Danila meets represents a different aspect of Russian culture and institutional disillusionment. He begins with Kat, a disaffected youth who only cares for him only for the money he has to buy acid and go raving. Later in the film, Dani goes out with Kat to do just that, and finds himself at a house party telling fellow inebriated foreigners, "Soon all of your America will kick the bucket!" When Kat tells him to stop badgering them because they're French, he replies with "It's all the same." Clearly, there is no thawing of Western resentment, even in the youth, daily indoctrinated by their seniors. It is only when Russians seek to find their own identity, not to emulate the capitalist West as Yeltsin's failed attempt of economic shock therapy sought to do, that there is a renewed sense of nationalistic pride. We see this again when two American tourists ask Danila for directions to a nearby club and he is disapprovingly silent.
Danila's moral compass takes on some unorthodox manifestations as is not unlike the general occurrences of the city. On a public bus, a ticket-taker asks two men to either supply a ticket or provide the fee. As they disrespectfully hassle the official to leave them alone, Dani makes them pay at gunpoint. Here the impoverished Dani has the chance to take all of the contents of the man's wallet, which contains much more than the $7 fee, but he takes only the fee amount and tells them to beat it. Shortly after, a thug is hassling a street trinket-seller for "taxes" and threatens to take his goods. Danila swiftly knocks the thug out and makes friends with the man named Nemets, a homeless German. When his nationality comes up later, Danila says he has no problems with Germans, only Americans and Jews (Westerners). Nemets remains Danila's kindest friend throughout, and moral anchor, constantly supplying the wisdom of the film. Ironically, the most foolish character is the Russian Mob boss, who speaks in rhyming proverbs, but is driven by greed and power.
Another disillusionment comes in the form of a brief love interest named Sveta, whose husband is an abusive drunk. This failing family mirrors the situation all over the city, as Nemets so sagely says, "The city is an evil force. The strong come and become feeble. The city takes the strength away. And now you've fallen." Even Dani's bitter old landlord speaks to everyone threateningly as though it is still WWII unless he is intoxicated. Nemets' words weigh heavily on Danila. In the climax moment when his brother (unbeknownst to Dani) has him cover his position in a heist suspected to be a trap, some innocent people get mixed up in the hit, one of them being the frontman of his favorite band. Danila makes a promise to save an innocent and turns on the two mob thugs when they finish their hit and start killing the witnesses.
Danila has come to a realisation that his life is becoming the very substance he is fighting against, but that is not the end of his criminal lifestyle. The mob learns of this and take his brother in for beating and questioning. Then they discover Danila's address and rape and beat Sveta while he is away. Dani gets prepared to liberate the community of the mob and rescue his brother simultaneously. As he is made known to the front guard, in an act of mercy he gives him his word to spare his life if he remains quiet, which he follows up with after killing the rest of the gangsters. As Danila makes amends with the ultimate betrayal (his brother's) he takes the mob money and seeks to say goodbye to each of his acquaintances, to which he offers the only reparation he knows--money. Sveta has lost interest and seeks to reunite with her estranged husband, Kat passively accepts Dani's farewell and cash and Nemet follows up with his words of wisdom once more, "what's good for the Russian is death for the German," a message contrary to his earlier mantra.
Brother was Russia's big contemporary crime thriller. But besides being a low-budget blockbuster, it carries an important story of the resurfacing of morals in a fallen world, serving as a message for its Russian audience. The film ends with Danila hitching a ride to Moscow in a red (Russian) truck amidst the white backdrop of a road and forest blanketed with snow, symbolising the new beginning for Russia.
In St. Petersburg Viktor is successful, but we find that it is at being a hit-man for the Russian mafia, which is also making him paranoid. After tying up Dani in a scheme to take out a competitive Chechen mob boss in his stead while simultaneously usurping the Russians, Dani is now in over his head with the mob, and becomes a killer. Meanwhile each character Danila meets represents a different aspect of Russian culture and institutional disillusionment. He begins with Kat, a disaffected youth who only cares for him only for the money he has to buy acid and go raving. Later in the film, Dani goes out with Kat to do just that, and finds himself at a house party telling fellow inebriated foreigners, "Soon all of your America will kick the bucket!" When Kat tells him to stop badgering them because they're French, he replies with "It's all the same." Clearly, there is no thawing of Western resentment, even in the youth, daily indoctrinated by their seniors. It is only when Russians seek to find their own identity, not to emulate the capitalist West as Yeltsin's failed attempt of economic shock therapy sought to do, that there is a renewed sense of nationalistic pride. We see this again when two American tourists ask Danila for directions to a nearby club and he is disapprovingly silent.
Danila's moral compass takes on some unorthodox manifestations as is not unlike the general occurrences of the city. On a public bus, a ticket-taker asks two men to either supply a ticket or provide the fee. As they disrespectfully hassle the official to leave them alone, Dani makes them pay at gunpoint. Here the impoverished Dani has the chance to take all of the contents of the man's wallet, which contains much more than the $7 fee, but he takes only the fee amount and tells them to beat it. Shortly after, a thug is hassling a street trinket-seller for "taxes" and threatens to take his goods. Danila swiftly knocks the thug out and makes friends with the man named Nemets, a homeless German. When his nationality comes up later, Danila says he has no problems with Germans, only Americans and Jews (Westerners). Nemets remains Danila's kindest friend throughout, and moral anchor, constantly supplying the wisdom of the film. Ironically, the most foolish character is the Russian Mob boss, who speaks in rhyming proverbs, but is driven by greed and power.
Another disillusionment comes in the form of a brief love interest named Sveta, whose husband is an abusive drunk. This failing family mirrors the situation all over the city, as Nemets so sagely says, "The city is an evil force. The strong come and become feeble. The city takes the strength away. And now you've fallen." Even Dani's bitter old landlord speaks to everyone threateningly as though it is still WWII unless he is intoxicated. Nemets' words weigh heavily on Danila. In the climax moment when his brother (unbeknownst to Dani) has him cover his position in a heist suspected to be a trap, some innocent people get mixed up in the hit, one of them being the frontman of his favorite band. Danila makes a promise to save an innocent and turns on the two mob thugs when they finish their hit and start killing the witnesses.
Danila has come to a realisation that his life is becoming the very substance he is fighting against, but that is not the end of his criminal lifestyle. The mob learns of this and take his brother in for beating and questioning. Then they discover Danila's address and rape and beat Sveta while he is away. Dani gets prepared to liberate the community of the mob and rescue his brother simultaneously. As he is made known to the front guard, in an act of mercy he gives him his word to spare his life if he remains quiet, which he follows up with after killing the rest of the gangsters. As Danila makes amends with the ultimate betrayal (his brother's) he takes the mob money and seeks to say goodbye to each of his acquaintances, to which he offers the only reparation he knows--money. Sveta has lost interest and seeks to reunite with her estranged husband, Kat passively accepts Dani's farewell and cash and Nemet follows up with his words of wisdom once more, "what's good for the Russian is death for the German," a message contrary to his earlier mantra.
Brother was Russia's big contemporary crime thriller. But besides being a low-budget blockbuster, it carries an important story of the resurfacing of morals in a fallen world, serving as a message for its Russian audience. The film ends with Danila hitching a ride to Moscow in a red (Russian) truck amidst the white backdrop of a road and forest blanketed with snow, symbolising the new beginning for Russia.