X
  • 1992
  • R
  • Creative Thinking International Ltd.
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Creative Thinking International Ltd.
  • 1 h 44 m

Summary This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for short), working as semi-literate farmers, and living together in isolation in a ramshackle shack, until William's death. The subsequent police investig...

Directed By: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

  • 1992
  • R
  • Creative Thinking International Ltd.
  • 1 h 44 m
  • 1992
  • R
  • Creative Thinking International Ltd.
  • 1 h 44 m

Brother's Keeper

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 18 Critic Reviews
must-see
93
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.4
My Score
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Where to Watch

Summary This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for short), working as semi-literate farmers, and living together in isolation in a ramshackle shack, until William's death. The subsequent police investig...

Directed By: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 18 Critic Reviews
93
100% Positive
18 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 18 Critic Reviews
93
100% Positive
18 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
No, this offbeat story probably wouldn't make it on Matlock. But it does make for a gripping documentary about a particular way of life - and of death. [05 Jun 1993, p.E3]
By Jay Boyar FULL REVIEW
100
Brother's Keeper is a thoroughly engaging examination of the whole curious affair by two New York City-based film makers, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who document with a distinctive underlying humor and a feeling for contrasts between urban and rural America. Sometimes that contrast is touching, sometimes painfully hilarious, and often a little gloomy as the film delves into the lives of the surviving brothers to reveal a community with genuinely humane values, but one ripe for exploitation by the big city media. [16 Oct 1992, p.C4]
By Peter Stack FULL REVIEW
100
Brother's Keeper has the texture, emotion and raw urgency of a Woody Guthrie anthem -- it keeps coming back to haunt you.
By Peter Travers FULL REVIEW
90
It's a rich slice of Americana that would seem to belong to an earlier, pre-television era, except that television comes to play a large part in Delbert's story. It's also about an aspect of life in rural America that's seldom seen by people who drive through it, and seldom if ever glimpsed in movies.
By Vincent Canby FULL REVIEW
88
Brother’s Keeper is more of a fly on the wall than opportunistic shock doc.
By Josh Larsen FULL REVIEW
78
So fascinating is Brother's Keeper that you almost don't quarrel with things like the biased portraits of the prosecuting team and the Deliverance-like banjo-shuffling soundtrack. Brother's Keeper intrigue factor is enormously high and, it could almost be said, that this movie is good enough to be fiction.
By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW
75
Brother's Keeper offers a rich tapestry of rural American life in both light and dark shades.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
8 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
10% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 10 User Ratings
7.4
80% Positive
8 Ratings
10% Mixed
1 Rating
10% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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Production Company American Playhouse, Creative Thinking International Ltd., Hand to Mouth Productions
Release Date Sep 9, 1992
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating R
Genres
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Awards

Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Directors Guild of America, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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