It isn’t easy being the brother of a famous musician. But as Tom Berninger turns his camera on his older sibling and The National’s lead singer, Matt Berninger, that’s far from his only point. Indeed, when the former joins the latter on tour as a roadie and brings his camera along, highlighting their differences isn’t his intention at all. However, from a backstage chronicle, an unlikely portrait of brotherhood blossoms.
Matt is a rock star with all the accoutrements, albeit of the unassuming and approachable rather than tantrum-throwing and room-wrecking variety. At the time of filming in 2010, The National has just released their fifth album, with the band continuing to enjoy critical success as well as beginning to appeal to a wider audience. Enthusiastic fans embrace the band’s tour of America as they traverse the continent, frenzied masses screaming and writhing as expected. Tom – with his comparably ordinary existence, devoid of the same successes or direction – quickly feels like he is just along for the ride.
Initially, Tom’s filmmaking and on-screen presence mirrors the emotional malaise which characterises his relationship with his brother. He appears to be going through the motions in the haphazard fashion which is symptomatic of an uneasy yet symbiotic relationship with Matt’s musical passion. A patchwork of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and to-camera admissions further fuels the messy amalgam of personal insight and traditional rock documentary, but as everything weaves together, the film’s depth and empathy crystallises.
The film’s title, Mistaken for Strangers, comes from one of The National’s 2007 singles. But it also references both the band and the brothers within its midst. As they sit on the cusp of mainstream recognition, The National proves the anti-thesis of their rock star status. Similarly, as siblings straddling the border of a group consisting of other brotherly couplets, the Berningers personalities and professions seem largely divergent. Yet, from the unlikely stems new perspective. The National’s lack of both drama and misbehaviour enables Tom’s charming roadie and filmmaking trials and tribulations to form its own narrative, all-the-while providing context and contrast.
Mild antics abound and missteps are made, as Tom’s efforts to fulfil his role with the band often comes to comical ends. Footage of The National in action – both on stage and on the road – reinforces Mistaken for Strangers’s status as rock documentary, albeit with its own refreshing familial perspective. Flitting from incident to interview, even for its short 75-minute running time, the film meanders; of course, the journey is as important as the actual main events. This is not a neat effort in form or function, or in style or substance. The conclusions it garners are similarly jumbled. Yet, in its humble way, Mistaken for Strangers, is filled with hope, honesty and entertaining musical and brotherly recollections and reflections.
Rating: 3 ½ stars out of 5
Mistaken for Strangers
Director: Tom Berninger
US, 2013, 75 mins
Distributor: Madman
Release date: Touring the country in early February, with The National’s Matt Berninger in attendance.
Rated: M
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