Films | Frères

They are father, sons, cousins, and brothers-in-law; they are 23, 40, and 65 years old and have known each other forever. A small Egyptian-Québec clan has gathered in a cottage in the woods with enough food to feed an army (you can never be too careful), and the group is about to celebrate Ralph’s birthday and enjoy the simple pleasures of the Laurentian forest. With the boys.

They use their getaway to get real with each other: Who makes the most money? What should they expect from women and marriage? Who totalled the car in 2003? Nabil tells it like he sees it: “I’d like to live in the woods! It smells like a garden center… and the wildlife…” and everyone has a good laugh at that. They criticize each other, compete with each other, and try to rise a notch in the family hierarchy. But they all agree on one thing: the importance of loyalty. Because family ties never break. Or do they?

After the massive critical and popular success of Mama (2022), Nathalie Doummar continues her exploration of family mythology with Frères, but now it’s men’s turn to speak. With her familiar talent at portraiture, she creates a gallery of delicious characters and takes a clear-eyed, kindly look at contemporary masculinity. And this time the playwright co-directs the actors herself, assisted in the stage production by co-artistic director Jean-Simon Traversy.