Mistaken for Strangers
In 2010, rock band The National were about to embark on the biggest tour of their career. After ten years as a band, and five critically acclaimed albums, they were finally enjoying wider recognition. Lead singer Matt Berninger invited his younger brother, Tom, to join the tour's crew. A budding horror filmmaker, Tom - who is nine years younger than Matt and listens exclusively to heavy metal - decided to bring his camera along. Tom's at sea in the world of indie rock, and living in his brother's shadow brings out the younger sibling in him - he drinks, complains, and struggles to balance his ambition with his tour responsibilities. The result is a film about brothers and about making something of your own.
Director:
Tom Berninger
Cast:
Tom Berninger, Matt Berninger, Bryan Devendorf
Screenplay:
Not available
Screening Date:
Mar 08, 2014
Running Time:
75 minutes
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.6% | 17.4% | 8.7% | 6.5% | 34.8% |
“Excellent story of brotherly love.”
“Loved the relationship of the brothers. Very courageous of Tom to make himself look so bad. Such a supportive family.”
“One of the most awful films I have ever seen. A film about a band and its music but without its music.”
“Very courageous for all the participants to expose themselves and allow others to see the price of success.”
“Tom is a very nonresistant person. He had to be in every shot, why? The brother has a nice voice.”
“How brave to show himself as such a self-indulgent mess.”
“Poorly produced. What a waste of time.”
“I appreciated the phenomenal editing job and thought the sequence at the end with Tom filming Matt through the audience with the mike was the metaphor for the essence of the film. In some ways I felt the title could be THE NATIONAL MEETS THE LOCAL.” Thanks Jeanne K
“No beginning or end. Nothing in the middle.”
“Sad to say that the director is not ready for prime time and has a lot of issues to beat. He needs counseling.”
“Technology has enabled almost anyone to make a movie. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but Tom’s story is remarkable, he certainly bares his soul for his art, and having gone to film school methinks he is cleverer than he appears.”
“The worst doc I’ve ever seen!”
“Raw, painful, funny and moving portrait of a sibling relationship from younger brother’s view point. Tom reveals so much about his personal life and interior life, he remains vulnerable throughout. Feels at times like SPINAL TAP, but finally it is not a rocumentary, but a real documentary. I never heard of National until this film. I look forward to listening to their music. I totally appreciated the meltdowns over editing. So real and true,”
“I’ve seen much better home movies, even of babies!”
“Way too self indulgent. A home movie from hell.”
“Yes, John, calling the film a ‘cinematic selfie’ is key to appreciating the film. For anyone who has had to live in the shadow of an older sibling they may feel like their brother is a rock star and they are condemned to forever fetching water bottles. So it has more universality than any rock doc I’ve ever seen.”
“The jerky little brother pretended to film the rock star big brother, but really made a movie about himself. Lively and fun, but this is not SPINAL TAP.”
“I didn’t know if this was a spoof, documentary or total fiction. I never heard of this band, and I didn’t know where this was going or why. I got no real insight into the group or how this band’s success inspired him.”
“OK, what a departure from ELAINE STRITCH! But in it’s own way a very different look at the life of performers and those around them. Both inept and almost accidentally insightful it was certainly a different perspective.”
If you'd like to know more about the film...
The National: Frontman Matt Berninger talks about their acclaimed new album and documentary, and why failure was good for the band. Be sure to check out the clip from Saturday Night Live!! http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/05/22/the-national-matt-berninger-interview...
Check out Tom and Matt's interview reguarding their inspiration for the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2L9bmk3eYg
If you enjoyed this rock documentary be sure to check out the Top 10 Greatest Rock Documentaries of all time!! http://www.popmatters.com/post/167505-the-10-greatest-rock-documentaries...
