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.
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
The Hollywood Reporter: “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."
Cineuropa: "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.“
Bussiness Doc Europe: "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."
DocUpdate: "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."
