Winter Brothers

Everyone has a little darkness inside, they just may be too boring to know it. While brothers Emil and Johan are accustomed to the constant roar of rock crushing machines, relentless and filthy mining work, bone chilling cold and foul air, they have different coping mechanisms. Johan merely shrugs off the bleakness and monotony. Emil goofs off and routinely slips into a moonshine induced fantasy world revolving around their pretty neighbor Anna, rifle skill training videos and stealing chemicals to make moonshine. As the brothers argue about who has a better grip on reality, unexpected events threaten to loosen the hold that either of them have upon the truth.

This dark, surreal and wacky film alters and toys with our senses and perceptions of reality. Churning machines, explosions and blaring alarms, for instance, remove us from the comfortable cocoon of sounds that we are used to and transport us into an alternate universe. The experience is jolting, yet also enriching. It would make Kafka smile. This is what stories are supposed to do. Film actors are up to the task. While the limited setting gets tedious after a while and the dialogue could be improved, the film is intriguing and refreshing. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.