By Saul Sudin

Igaal Niddam’s Brothers opens on a beautiful field under a warm sun casting its rays down on a man and his herd of sheep. You can tell from this initial image how blessed the land is, and the shepherd, writing poetry in his journal, harkens back to biblical greats like King David. The potential has been set, much as any first shot does. But quickly, the television quality of the video cinematography becomes more obvious, and the film’s presence is reduced to the look of a soap opera. What’s more, that tone is furthered through the series of overly dramatic and unrealistic portrayals that attempt to delve into the ongoing debate between religion and state in Israel.

We approach this hot topic division from the point of view of the two brothers that make up the film’s namesake- Aharon (Baruch Brener), religious and living in the United States, and Dan (Micha Celektar), secular, living on a kibbutz, the aforementioned shepherd. They have not seen each other nor spoken for 25 years, and the arrival of the religious brother in Israel is an unexpected shock. As with most films that try to portray Hasidic or religious Jewish life, this one is full of inaccuracies and absurdities. Inexplicably, Aharon is not married despite being in his 40’s, claims being religiously persecuted at Columbia University of all places, and prays in a way that only exists in fantasy- where our protagonist is somehow the leader of every synagogue service he attends. Dan is a weak link, given a key role that dwindles mightily as the film progresses.

Story-wise we are held back from knowing many things for no reason at all. The motivation for the rift that separated the brothers for 25 years is kept a secret for so long that we would stop caring completely if it wasn’t so obvious. When the revelation comes late in the film, the only question still remaining is why the scene didn’t play out an entire act earlier. Similarly, just because Aharon doesn’t feel comfortable telling his brother why he has come to Israel at the outset doesn’t mean that the audience needs to dwell on the same mystery, especially when progressing to his mission results in the film’s best scenes. What director Igaal Nidaam and his screenwriters seem to miss is that first act reveals are part of the setup of the film, and don’t need to be handled like some grand mystery.
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