‘Brotherhood’ Reminds Us Why Faith-Based Movies Shouldn’t By Preachy
(REVIEW) Not everyone dislikes faith-based films for the same reasons. Most people agree that the quality of the average faith-based film could be much better. But beyond that, interpretations begin to diverge on what’s actually wrong with them.
One opinion is that Christian films fail because they’re too preachy. They focus on pushing a message on their audiences rather than honestly sharing beauty and truth and letting viewers do with them what they will. Dorothy Sayers articulated this view of Christian art in “Toward a Christian Aesthetic.”
There’s also another view of what’s truly wrong with faith-based films: They’re right to focus on messages; they just focus on the wrong ones. This is the view of historian and filmmaker Jemar Tisby, who has argued that Christian films have focused too much on preaching right-wing and individualistic messages rather than promoting progressive collective action.
READ: ‘Fjord’ Highlights The Limits Of Faith, Family And Tolerance In A Secular Society
“Brotherhood” is a new film that seems to agree with the second viewpoint. It’s a Christian musical focused on the American immigration debate. Its constant sermonizing in nearly every line of dialogue and song lyric is a good reminder that preachiness undermines good filmmaking, regardless of the message.
“Brotherhood” tells the story of two next-door neighbors whose lives become deeply intertwined. Jon (played by Casey Elliot), who is white and an American citizen, while Fabian (Mauricio Martínez) is a Mexican immigrant who has spent more than a decade waiting for a resolution to his U.S. asylum application. As the men and their families navigate uncertainty and turbulence, they are challenged to see one another beyond labels — and to rediscover what it truly means to be neighbors, Americans and human beings.
“Brotherhood” does a few things that are laudable. Very few Christian films attempt musicals, and it’s always great when Christian filmmakers try something different, particularly in an industry that tends to rely on a familiar formula. Tackling the immigration debate from a specifically Christian perspective is also praiseworthy.
America is deeply divided over immigration, and evangelical Christians have been particularly prominent in the debate. This group has been in the spotlight on the issue since white evangelical support for Donald Trump played a key role in both of his election victories, alongside a broader backlash against immigration. A movie made by Christians that focuses on how people on different sides of the issue wrestle with it could be valuable in helping audiences process the controversy.
But in execution, the film overwhelmingly falls flat. Every line of dialogue is exposition or a sermon reinforcing the film’s message. Every scene sets up and delivers a sermon. Every character serves as either a positive or negative example in one.
Jon is a straw man representing the comfortable white Christian man who ignores the injustices facing his Hispanic neighbors. Fabian is a stereotype of the patriotic American immigrant. Every scene with Jon is an opportunity to show how wrong he is and how much he needs to change. Every scene with Fabian is an opportunity to tug at our heartstrings, encourage sympathy for him and deliver a mini-sermon about how America’s current immigration policies are draconian and harm good people like Fabian and his family.
This approach creates a couple of problems. The first is that it makes the movie unbelievably boring. We know everything about these characters within the first five minutes, and there’s nothing new to discover about them for the rest of the film. We know everything the movie has to say about the immigration debate within the first half-hour, and it keeps hammering home the same points in every subsequent scene. Once Jon changes his mind and accepts Fabian, the film has exhausted nearly every emotional beat. Yet it keeps going, even though it has little left to say.
The other is that the film comes across as deeply condescending toward the people with whom it disagrees. I’m very sympathetic to its message, particularly as the filmmakers articulate its nuances near the very end — in an oddly tacked-on section that I’ll address in a minute. But my gosh, the straw man arguments against people on the right who are skeptical of current immigration policies are obnoxious. Every character who disagrees with the film’s position is shown in the worst possible light and given the most easily dismissed reasons for their views.
Who exactly is this movie for? Is it trying to persuade people who are skeptical of immigration or on the fence? If so, those viewers will see that the people represented in the film bear little resemblance to them and will dismiss its message. Is the film meant to rally those who already agree with its position? If so, it reinforces crude stereotypes about their opponents, making it harder for them to enact the change they seek.
The most persuasive movies about political issues are those that focus less on preaching and more on creating characters we root for, characters who demonstrate why our values seem true and beautiful to us. It’s less like a mother nagging her daughter to get married and more like a friend sharing what makes her marriage meaningful. The latter is much more likely to make marriage seem desirable.
The “Knives Out” franchise is deeply political, but its films are primarily murder mysteries, which is why their political commentary works. “Eye in the Sky” makes the debate over drone strikes central to its story, but it succeeds because, first, all sides get a steelmanned seat at the table and, second, the debate itself drives the conflict: The characters must reach a decision before the terrorists leave the building.
“Brotherhood” deserves praise for tackling a difficult contemporary political issue and embracing a less common genre in Christian filmmaking. But its commitment to message over storytelling reminds us that learning the wrong lessons from the failures of faith-based filmmaking only guarantees that you’ll add to them.
“Brotherhood” is now in theaters.