User Reviews

This movie narrates the story of two brothers, one of which has the Down Syndrome, the other is preparing for an important examination for a piano contest (or something like that). Like "Le huitieme jour" ( a good French movie dealing with the same subject), we see both brothers in different situations. The most impressive scene happens in local dance hall where Jakob (the brother with Down syndrome) starts to dance frenetically and wants a blond girl to do the same. She feels embarrassed, and, being rejected, we see Jakob crying on the floor. This is one of the most intense scenes of the whole film: everybody is in a good mood, but Jakob is excluded. His own interpretation of "fun", shown in an outburst of feelings and his desire for physical contact is seen an embarrassment. A great scene. The title "Mein Bruder, der Idiot"does not only refer to the mentally retarded brother, but although to the non-handicapped: he has to learn that Jakob has a different view of the world he is living in, and that it is sometimes impossible to make it match with the surrounding and "hostile" world. Fortunately, the movie does not try to hang out a moralist point of view of how discriminating the "normal" world can be to handicapped people. Its undertone is full of understanding for the problems both characters have in getting their lives arranged. Worth a look.