Blood Brother (2013)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on November 26, 2013 @ tonymacklin.net.

Blood Brother is an uneasy marriage between idealism and vanity.

Blood Brother follows Rocky Baart to India where he tries to serve orphans who have HIV.

The indie documentary is at its best when it focuses on the children under horrible duress; it is at its least effective when it allows Rocky to hog the screen.

Director Steve Hoover, Rocky's close friend, gives his buddy wide berth to pontificate.

Rocky - named by his grandfather - is not Philly's Rocky. He was born in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. He's no Sly Stallone; he's more Burt Young.

Ohio's Rocky seems like a nice guy, but niceness is not compelling.

He comes across as a sleepy-eyed, well-meaning interloper. Rocky yawns, chews pizza, dances, stares. But he can't quite carry the movie.

At one point he stands before a closet in India and speaks about a rat. "Urinating. Crapping on all my stuff. It's cool." Sure, it is.

Director Hoover seems to recognize the difficulty in translating the experience of India and the children. He says, "It's almost stupid trying to describe it."

Later Hoover admits, "Can't put it on camera. Just the experience. You can't capture it."

But Hoover is able to capture some of the wrenching awfulness in the death of a child and the deathwatch of another.

At these points, the human condition leaps to the forefront.

And for a few vivid moments, the film does become compelling.