Drama | 88 min | HD

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

Maximilian Leo

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Maximilian Leo (born in 1979) is a director and producer. Between 2002 and 2005, he shot numerous TV features and documentaries, inter alia in Afghanistan and Africa. From 2005 to 2009, he studied Film Directing at the Academy for Media Arts in Cologne. His graduation film DRESDENPRAG was nominated in the categories of Best Camera and Best Film Editing for the German Camera Award in 2010. 
His debut MY BROTHER’S KEEPER opened the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section at the 64th Berlinale in 2014.

Gregor (32) is happily married and a successful doctor - friendly, ambitious and good at keeping a professional distance. He seems to have found his place in life and is not afraid of taking on responsibility. Even for his brother Pietschi, who is two years his junior.

Pietschi is meandering through life spontaneously and aimlessly, with a gift for winning people over, though not for keeping them in his life. He has never had a regular income or a lasting relationship.

As every year, the two brothers go sailing during Pentecost. To Gregor everything appears to be as usual – until Pietschi disappears without a trace.

Used to his brother’s erratic behaviour, Gregor carries on with his everyday life. But Pietschi’s disappearance nevertheless bothers him. Pietschi does not respond to any of Gregor’s messages. By coincidence, Gregor gets hold of the keys to his brother’s apartment. He gets in touch with old friends and relatives, without revealing what is on his mind. And while Gregor is forced to realise how little he has actually known about his brother, Pietschi’s life begins to truly intrigue him.

There are more and more hints that Pietschi might be gone forever. A deep sense of longing replaces Gregor’s urge to find his brother, and slowly a metamorphosis takes place. Gregor spends more and more time in Pietschi's apartment, while obsessively trying to grasp the fading echo of his brother’s life. Meanwhile, he neglects his own life.

He gets sloppy at his job, and estranged from his wife. He lies to people around him, and even to himself. Instead, he reads Pietschi's mail, wears Pietschi's clothes and begins and affair with Jule - Pietschi's ex-girlfriend.

Within his brother’s waning shadow, Gregor experiences a part of himself that has had no place in his life as a doctor and husband. When he finally realises that he might know himself even less than he knew Pietschi, he is about to get completely lost in the life of his brother.

Production:
augenschein Filmproduktion
Broadcaster:
WDR
Distributor:
imFilm
World Sales:
Media Luna new films
Sponsor:
Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
Production year:
2014
Locations:
Germany, Netherlands
Script:
Susanne Finken
Director:
Maximilian Leo
Producer:
Jonas Katzenstein & Maximilian Leo
Editor:
Götz Schmedes
Cast:
Sebastian Zimmler
Nadja Bobyleva
Robert Finster
Script:
Susanne Finken
Director:
Maximilian Leo
Producer:
Jonas Katzenstein & Maximilian Leo
Cast:
Sebastian Zimmler
Nadja Bobyleva
Robert Finster
DoP:
Matteo Cocco
Prod. design:
Cora Pratz
Costume design:
Cindy Spiekermann
Make-Up artist:
Christina Paul
Editing:
Dora Vajda
Prod. manager:
Anja Firmenich
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