After the death of their controversial mother, two elderly brothers make a final attempt to clear up the wreckage of their past. In scenes as intimate as they are tragicomic, filmmaker Tom Fassaert, the son of one of them, is drawn ever deeper into the mystery of their long-lost father.
"An ode to the love between siblings which, through subtlety, humor, and earnest empathy, culminates in a contemplative reflection on the notion of inheritance, roots, and the need for some sort of answer to the fundamental question of who we truly are." - Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival
feature length documentary | 106 minutes | HD | premiering in 2026
sales agent Liselot Verbrugge / FILM HARBOUR | produced by EEN VAN DE JONGENS | in co-production with Clin d’Oeil films, KRO-NCRV, VRT, SHELTER PROD | directors of photography Tom Fassaert, Mick van Dantzig | editors Thabi Mooi, Dieter Diependaele, Tom Fassaert | sound designer Marc Lizier | re-recording mix Paul Gies composer Tobias Borkert | colourist Blaise Jadoul | artwork Studio Daoudi | line producers Noa Defesche, Rosan Boersma, Merle Bemelmans, Britte Hermans, Mieke Struyve | commissioning editor KRO-NCRV Michiel Brongers, Jelle Peter de Ruiter VRT Tom Bleyaert, Simon Vrebos | co-producer Hanne Phlypo | producers Hasse van Nunen, Renko Douze | directed by Tom Fassaert
"We were united as a jury in our admiration for a personal story well told. A portrait of two men, who endure an unpredictable and difficult childhood of abandonment together, but remain steadfastly committed to each other throughout their adult lives. This film is given an additional layer of intriguing complexity through a subtle provocation that asks us to consider how abnormal and strange our ideas of a 'normal life' might be. Director Tom Fassaert’s delicate exploration of how familial trauma spirals down through the generations, is a well-narrated account of the ties that bind us, in often inscrutable and unforeseen ways, and how we try to loosen their restrictive consequences." - Jury Movies That Matter festival
“Early on in Between Brothers, Fassaert wonders whether the cycle of intergenerational trauma can be broken. On the search for a possible answer, he takes audiences on a winding path full of love, drama, old and new questions, conflict, laughter, and all sorts of other emotions that families bring with them. Between Brothers is a genre-bending mix of odd-couple road trip, historical mystery, and family therapy, among other things." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Between Brothers is an insightful and tender consideration of family mores... and how the categorical truth may remain forever elusive. Fassaert ultimately succeeds with his candidness and emotional fearlessness, allowing us to reflect on family dramas we may have endured ourselves. His film delicately evokes how unconditional paternal love can still trigger contradictory emotions of secrecy and shame, making a family as fragile as it is robust.“ - Cineuropa
"With this well-crafted film, in which his elderly father and uncle are seeking information on their long-ago departed father, Dutch director Tom Fassaert raises questions about the personal and private aspects of filming your own family affairs. Their story, searching for information about the father who abandoned them when they were young, is engaging and touching – at times very touching. I wouldn’t be surprised if Between Brothers turned out to be a general crowd-pleaser, doing well in the ranking for the IFFR Audience Award." - Bussiness Doc Europe
"De montage verweeft het oude filmmateriaal knap met het nieuwe: plotse overgangen die nooit abrupt aandoen. Zo krijgen we een gelaagd beeld van de diep ingesleten omgang tussen de broers, die het nodige aan (kinderleed) hebben gedeeld. Zie maar eens niet ontroerd te raken" - de Volkskrant
"Fassaert toont je eerst twee archetypen, en diept ze dan uit. Het is een genuanceerde conclusie waar Tussen Broers je langzaam naartoe leidt. Nee Rob en René herhaalden het verleden niet. Toch werden ze beiden ‘de verpersoonlijking van hun jeugd’." - NRC
“Het zijn ontwapenende hoofdpersonages, maar de film is op zijn sterkst als Fassaert ook zelf achter de camera vandaan komt.” - Parool
"Spoorloos spannend (...) recht in je hart" - Cinemagazine
"Deze intrigerende documentaire waadt zo door een ander deel van een woelige familiehistorie ... indringend en toch behoedzaam en subtiel. Een héél particulier en daardoor universeel en invoelbaar verhaal." - DocUpdate
