Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death.
Brother's Keeper is a landmark documentary that captures a genuinely remarkable true story—four semi-literate, isolated elderly brothers in rural New York, one accused of murdering another—with an intimate, fly-on-the-wall authenticity that feels singular. The plot, driven by the unfolding murder trial and the community's rallying around Delbert, is gripping and morally complex, earning a high mark. Berlinger and Sinofsky's observational approach was distinctive for its time and influenced the true-crime documentary form significantly, giving it strong novelty. The cinematography is competent and appropriately gritty but not visually spectacular. The ending, while satisfying in its resolution, doesn't transcend the documentary form. Acting is not traditionally applicable but the subjects' naturalistic presence is compelling without being extraordinary.