Brother's Keeper

Name: Brother's Keeper
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Documentary
Released: September 9, 1992
Duration: 104 min
Rating: 93
Cast: Dave Goff, Delbert Ward, Harry Thurston, John Teeple, Joseph F. Loszynski

1992

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 18 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Ratings

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Brother's Keeper

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Movie Details & Credits

Creative Thinking International Ltd. | Release Date: September 9, 1992 | Not Rated

Starring: Dave Goff, Delbert Ward, Harry Thurston, John Teeple, Joseph F. Loszynski, Ken Elmer, Lyman Ward, Ralph A. Cognetti, Roscoe Ward, Walt Geisler

Summary: This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for short), working as semi-literate farmers, and living together in isolation in a ramshackle shack, until William's death. The subsequent policeThis documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert's of a family of 4 brothers (the other 3 being Roscoe, Lyman and William - Bill, for short), working as semi-literate farmers, and living together in isolation in a ramshackle shack, until William's death. The subsequent police investigation and medical examiner's autopsy suggested Bill may not have died from natural causes, and Delbert was arrested on charges of second-degree murder. Under questioning by police, Delbert appears to have waived his rights and signed a confession, but, it seems he might not have been competent, and was coerced into doing so. The film explores possible motives for the crime, from mercy-killing (Bill was ill at the time), to progressively more outré hypotheses. It also shows how residents of the rural community of Munnsville, NY rallied to the support of one of their own (residents previously considered the Wards as social outcasts), against what they felt were intrusive 'big-city' police and a district attorney involved in an election, who might've used the death to help bolster his candidacy.… Expand

Director: Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger

Genre(s): Mystery, Crime, Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 104 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Peter Stack

Brother's Keeper is a thoroughly engaging examination of the whole curious affair by two New York City-based film makers, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who document with a distinctive underlying humor and a feeling for contrasts between urban and rural America. Sometimes that contrast is touching, sometimes painfully hilarious, and often a little gloomy as the film delves into the lives of the surviving brothers to reveal a community with genuinely humane values, but one ripe for exploitation by the big city media. [16 Oct 1992, p.C4]

100

Rita Kempley

A documentary as compelling as the best whodunit. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

Brother's Keeper, the year's best documentary, has an impact and immediacy that most fiction films can only envy. It tells a strong story, and some passages are truly inspirational, as the neighbors of Munnsville become determined that Delbert will not be railroaded by some ambitious prosecutor more concerned with bringing charges than with understanding the reality of the situation. Read full review

Vincent Canby

It's a rich slice of Americana that would seem to belong to an earlier, pre-television era, except that television comes to play a large part in Delbert's story. It's also about an aspect of life in rural America that's seldom seen by people who drive through it, and seldom if ever glimpsed in movies. Read full review

Jay Carr

Part courtroom drama, part murder mystery, part social anthropology, Brother's Keeper is nonstop fascinating. [19 Sep 1992, p.29]

Kristine McKenna

In addition to leaving a question mark around the issue of Delbert's guilt or innocence, Brother's Keeper, which Berlinger co-directed with Bruce Sinofsky, opens up several complex areas of debate. Among them: the differing codes of behavior governing city and country life; the inaccurate, stereotyped beliefs each realm has about the other; community loyalty; incest; the socializing effects of media and the manner in which we acquire language. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Put together on a miniscule budget, the film has all the power, drama, and tension of a big-budget Hollywood thriller. Read full review

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User Reviews

Gamzguy17

Aug 21, 2021

Provides engaging insights into the background of this supposed murder case as well as sheds light on the judgment of uneducated beings under a criminal light.

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