Oh, Brother

When one talks of domestic abuse, the first instinct is to imagine a heteronormative couple and the many travails of their life. This is the idea that Oh, Brother subverts to bring to life a highly dysfunctional relationship of two brothers, Malcolm and Philip. The characters are portrayed as being cut-off and isolated from the external world, continuing their grim existence within the confines of their house, with its bareness and the mementos of a shared past enhancing the texture of the story.

The narrative offers an interesting dynamic by way of the equation of the brothers, aptly portraying for the viewer how an abuser isolates their victim from the rest of society, ensuring there is no other source of comfort or refuge available to them other than the dysfunctional and grotesque presence of the abuser themselves. In the film, however, things come to a head in the most unexpected manner when a stranger breaks into their house.

The ensuing butterfly effect throws Malcolm and Philip's world into absolute chaos, altering the course of their relationship forever. The storytelling, in the process, acquires a relevant tone and approach to the delineation of abuse and the twisted co-dependence of such an equation. However, is there an upper limit up to which it can be pulled and tugged before it snaps into two? The film presents a conclusive answer.