My Brother Simple

Ben and Barnabas have been inseparable brothers since they were small. But it is not an ordinary brotherhood: Barnabas is twenty two and has stayed mentally at the age of three. When their mother dies, placing Barnabas in an institution comes up. Ben will not have it and takes his brother out on the road, meaning to find their father. Markus Goller's German film is adapted from Marie-Aude Murail's novel for young readers. It uses the shape of a road film, but the real subject is the weight of care: what it means for a sibling to take on a lifelong responsibility. The telling makes Barnabas neither someone to pity nor a wise figure. David Kross plays Ben and Frederick Lau plays Barnabas. The tone is kept from getting heavy, and softens too much in places.