Between Brothers: Everything we know about the latest Dutch documentary by Tom Fassaert

Between Brothers is a Dutch documentary film written and directed by Tom Fassaert. Its official synopsis, as per Letterboxd, is:

In this intimate family portrait, documentary filmmaker Tom Fassaert observes the relationship between his father Rob (72) and his older brother René (75). What begins as a tragicomic film about their unusual dynamic, one was a psychologist for many years, the other a psychiatric patient, turns into a moving search for their unknown roots.

The film focuses on Fassaert's family, including his relationship with his father and older brother. Let's explore all the details about the documentary available online.

Everything we know about Between Brothers

Between Brothers is a documentary film directed by Tom Fassaert and produced by Renko Douze and Hasse van Nunen. The music is composed by Tobias Borkert, while Fassaert and Mick van Dantzig are the cinematographers. It's edited by Fassaert, Thabi Mooi, and Dieter Diependaele.

Between Brothers focuses on the bond between Fassaert's father, Rob, and his elder brother, Rene. Rob worked as a psychiatrist while Rene was a psychiatric patient. The storyline then goes into the roots of Rene, whose real father had left him at a house. It premiered at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Limelight program.

The logline reads,

“After the death of their mother, two elderly brothers make a final attempt to clear up the wreckage of their past. In scenes as intimate as they are tragicomic, filmmaker Tom Fassaert, the son of one of them, is drawn ever deeper into the mystery of their long-lost father.”

In an interview with THR, Fassaert spoke about the project.

“The film is investigating certain things that seem factual, yet to me, they are more emotional and psychological. In many ways, in a family, things happen, traumas happen, big wars or small wars happen, parents divorcing, families falling apart. All these things happen to almost everyone of us, yet the way we deal with traumatic events differs. The way we deal with them makes one family functional and the other family dysfunctional.”

He further spoke about the family trauma explored in the film.

“Part of what I’m attempting to do with my films is not just investigating what actually happened. I’m really much more focused on how those traumatic moments resonate throughout the lives of the people concerned, but also intergenerationally. It’s about how they cycle through generations and still affect generations that never experienced the actual happenings. I’m fascinated by these psychological mechanisms.”

Between Brothers also features black-and-white archival footage that the director obtained through his family. He concluded by saying,

“So, this film is actually an ultimate attempt to slowly but steadily open him up and try to deal with this trauma that’s not only his trauma, but that is also casting a shadow on the whole family. So it is a really intense process.”

Fassaert's earlier work includes A Family Affair and Doel leeft. The makers are yet to reveal their release date.