Brother's Keeper

1992

1h 44m

Documentary

List

100%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

88%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky directed this documentary about a death in upstate New York in 1990. The eldest of a family of four brothers, William Ward, was found dead in his home, and his brother Delbert was accused of suffocating him. The ensuing trial leads to tensions within the small rural community in which the brothers live, due to media coverage that presents the quiet, hardworking family as illiterate bumpkins, and to growing real estate speculation in the area.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

A discomforting, almost surreal study of a rural murder case, which offers fascinating insights about both family and community dynamics.

Rated: 4/5

May 8, 2006

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

It’s another immersive portrait of a small community dealing with death, less scabrous and activist than the Paradise films.

Jan 24, 2023

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...could be accused of exploiting the Wards except that the movie develops exploitation as one of its themes.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 24, 2015

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The excellent humanistic documentary is a rich slice of life piece of Americana.

Rated: A

Mar 15, 2011

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Audience Member

Provides engaging insights into the background of this supposed murder case as well as sheds light on the judgment of uneducated beings under a criminal light.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Unique & gripping film that leaves you guessing about a lot of things: what exactly is wrong with these brothers? Inbreeding? Lead poisoning? It's not just the IQ issue that's haunting...Lyman's chronic nervousness & trembling is disturbing as well. They're all nearly deaf for some reason. And ALL of these guys look not one day younger than 80. All are in their 50s or 60s in the film. Makes you wonder what hellish lives they've lived leading up to this point. Even if Bill was murdered, he's probably better off wherever he is than living in this 4-man unheated shed with no running water. So sad. A painful glimpse into rural American life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Four elderly, semi-literate brothers live together on their dairy farm in upstate New York. One of them dies in his sleep, and the police arrest one of the brothers for murder based on extremely vague medical evidence and a confession elicited under extremely questionable circumstances. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky cover the town's banding together to support the brothers and the eventual trial. Like their subsequent "Paradise Lost" films, this tells a story of an injustice ... the police manipulate a man with no practical knowledge of his rights and with highly suspect mental capabilities into telling the story the want to hear.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

4.5/5.0 stars - Grade: A

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Worth watching! The trailer for this movie isn't the correct one. The one I watched was a documentary.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I was told to view this film by a fellow criminal justice and psychology major. I am very happy I watched this. This very case showed us a flaw in our criminal justice system. Due to this case there was a change in how interrogations and other treatments of suspects. As for the documentary itself, one of the best I have seen in a while. They had actual court room footage and followed the case nicely. I have to admit there were a few times I almost cried because of the treatment people like Delbert receive in society and sadly at times in this very system. To me this was a great documentary but not for everyone to view. Some may believe I rated this film to high but I feel that this very case that changed the criminal justice system was captured quite well compared to other documentaries.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Joe Berlinger

Director

Bruce Sinofsky

Director

T.J. Amato

Producer

John K. Duncan

Producer

Larissa Michel

Producer

Josh Mills

Producer

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Synopsis

Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky directed this documentary about a death in upstate New York in 1990. The eldest of a family of four brothers, William Ward, was found dead in his home, and his brother Delbert was accused of suffocating him. The ensuing trial leads to tensions within the small rural community in which the brothers live, due to media coverage that presents the quiet, hardworking family as illiterate bumpkins, and to growing real estate speculation in the area.

Director: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Runtime: 1h 44m

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