After having participated in a couple of films as a member of the technical team, Robert Eggers decided to try himself again with this third short film before he could start making his first film. In this case it is about a tense duality between two brothers that reaches an extreme point. From the beginning we see that it is the typical relationship between the older brother and the younger brother, but with a rather tense atmosphere. Robert Eggers applies the tension that he used in The Tell-Tale Heart and although this is the shortest short film, it provides enough tension to be able to see what happens at the end. The rivalry between these brothers reaches its limit when we realize that the older brother is the one who is punished and the younger brother is the one who gets more compassion from the parents. What happens halfway through is somewhat intriguing because both brothers end up in a kind of gun duel. This is certainly intriguing because of how strong the idea is that two brothers of different ages threaten each other with weapons. This was clearly inspired by the story of Cain & Abel. Eggers' use of shots, direction, editing and sound managed to deliver something quite intriguing and dramatic. The only problem this short has is that being shorter than the previous shorts, it leaves you wanting more. The rivalry between the brothers is clear, but we needed to see a lot more of them to make the story more melodramatic and have a bigger impact when the two characters face each other. The short ends too soon and it would have been better if they had extended it a bit more. Robert Eggers did a good job, but he should have made this short longer like he did with Hansel & Gretel and The Tell-Tale Heart. In conclusion, Brothers is a good short that manages to deliver a promising moment of tension, but it is a lesser short compared to what Eggers did at the beginning. My final rating for this short is 7/10.
