Alden Ehrenreich’s directorial debut Shadow Brother Sunday is a tense insight into the anguish of losing that precious connection you have with a sibling. At times chaotic, Ehrenreich shows us that he is substantial talent behind the camera as he does in front of it.
A down-on-his-luck musician returns home on the day of his younger brother’s movie premiere to steal and sell his computer to the paparazzi.
It could easily be said that Shadow Brother Sunday is one of, if not Ehrenreich’s strongest performance as an actor. There is a tightness to his character that we haven’t quite seen often enough yet. Cole is all over the place as a person, on a horrible downward slide in every aspect of his life; he has to resort to the worst type of betrayal of his brother. You continually feel pity for Cole, even if he is doing something immoral. His life has not turned out as hoped, whereas his younger brother has effectively obtained the life they both dreamed of.
Ehrenreich revels in this twitchy edge character. As he and his brother have become more distant due to Jacob’s fame blowing up, you sense that there was once a tight bond between the two, so when that horrible moment for Cole, where he tries to get out of his task by hoping his brother will lend him some money is utterly cringe-inducing. As a younger sibling put in Jacob’s position, Ehrenreich nailed it with the script and performance as the desperate sibling.
When the sweating and panicked Cole is turned down on his request, the near slapstick few minutes of Cole trying to transfer the information from Jacob’s laptop ensues. As he moves from one unfortunate and, at times, maddening scene after another, we are trying not to look at the screen as we are terrified of that laptop becoming visible to the family. It is great direction from Ehrenreich in Shadow Brother Sunday that you would be forgiven for thinking that he has directed far more films than this previously.
As the film continues, you realise that it is not simply about a brother trying to get one up on his brother or get things going again in his life. Shadow Brother Sunday is a film that is much more about two brothers who were as thick as thieves who have lost each other as they have aged. It happens to many of us. Those bonds become naturally strained when life situations alter. But deep down, siblings are siblings, and when they are given the chance to show it, the love will always be there.
This is a great short that shows Ehrenreich’s promise, not just as a writer/director, but as a dramatic actor. After this, you will be actively wanting to see him in more serious roles.
★★★ 1/2
The 19th HollyShorts Film Festival is running between 10th – 20th August with in person and digital screenings available through the 10th to 27th August.
For more information go to www.hollyshorts.com
Coverage of Hollyshorts Film Festival 2023:
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