There is a sense of intrigue from the opening shots of Brother’s Nest. Two figures in black cycle uphill and down dale in a beautifully-shot Victorian countryside to reach a derelict country farm. On entry to the homestead, they settle in for a long stay. Over the next 20 or so minutes (seemed more like half the film) we find out why.
Brothers Terry (Shane Jacobson) and Jeff (Clayton Jacobson) are on a supposed boys weekender in Sydney. In reality, they’re hiding out waiting the arrival of their stepfather Rodger (played by Kym Gyngell) to carry out an act to protect their inheritance of the farm. They believe Rodger will sell it out from underneath them when their Mum (Lynette Curran) loses her battle with cancer.
The amateurs are nervous and overly cautious, taking far-fetched pains learnt from CSI and Youtube videos so as not to shed an iota of DNA. As they attempt to keep their wits, precaution goes out the window and there’s a hint of a double-cross.
The film then takes a suspenseful turn with an unexpected arrival. Their plan now in disarray, the brothers need to think quick. The tension is shortlived; the farce soon kicks in with another unexpected arrival and how the boys deal with it.
With a nod to the black comedies of the Coen Brothers, director Clayton Jacobson has baked in all the right ingredients – eery location, evocative cinematography, absurd dialogue, tortured characters. If you can forgive the duration and over-exposed story setup in the first half, events then roll on pretty quickly.
3.5 stars
Brother’s Nest opens nationally from 21 June 2018.
About Brother’s Nest
Classification: MA 15+ (Strong themes, violence & course language)
http://brothersnest.com
@brothersnest
Directed by: Clayton Jacobson
Produced by: Jason Byrne & Clayton Jacobson
Written by: Jaime Browne
Stars: Clayton Jacobson, Shane Jacobson, Kym Gyngell, Lynette Curran, Susan Strong
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