My Brother (2004)

If the viewer has a bit of patience, My Brother will reward them with a relatable tale of sibling rivalry and its consequences. Since it is a slice of life and character study, it has a slow pace with which to reveal its core message. The individual plot happenings are not as meaningful apart as they are as a whole. This unfortunately means that the story feels like it's meandering...until you've seen the entire film. Personally once it all hit me, I instantly began reflecting on my own family and my behavior toward them. There's a big emotional impact.

What's better than having Won Bin star in a film? Having him perform alongside Shin Ha Kyun. The two are chameleon actors with a lot of chemistry (no doubt from previously working together on Guns and Talks); they really seemed like brothers despite looking nothing alike. Many viewers will relate to Won Bin's Jong Hyun, especially if they've ever felt their parent has played favorites. He's the more human of the two brothers, delinquent, rude, and jealous...but also loving and inwardly kind. It's a complex part that I lost Won Bin in; I totally forgot it was him for the longest time despite his unique look.

Shin Ha Kyun's Sung Hyun is something of a saint in comparison; he's sweet, smart, perpetually patient, the beloved son. Despite the fact this is also how Jong Hyun jealously sees him, Sung Hyun suffers a lot too. He was born with a harelip and never has an easy time of anything, even establishing a good relationship with his younger brother. Shin is fresh-faced and subtle here, a perfect foil to Won Bin's dynamic performance.

Unfortunately, My Brother will not be to everyone's tastes. The music was nothing special and, as mentioned before, the story is slow. So this is not a re-watch friendly movie; once you've seen it, there's nothing to go back for unless the interaction between the leads impressed you. The one time you do see it is definitely worth it though.

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