Brother’s Nest | SXSW 2018 Film Review

When we first meet brothers Jeff and Terry (real-life siblings Clayton and Shane Jacobson), they are hoofing it through the Australian countryside. Dense fog and a lush landscape surrounds them as they dismount their bikes and carry them up and over a hill, finally arriving at a seemingly abandoned homestead. Our introduction to their family squabbling then arrives as Jeff and Terry begin layering up – shoe covers, hazmat body suits, rubber gloves – prepping for something far more sinister than this picturesque backdrop would imply. As we learn only minutes in, Brother’s Nest is not only interested in dysfunctional family dynamics. These brothers also intend to commit the perfect murder.

Upon discovering that their cancer-ridden mother is in the final months of her life, and intends to will the family land on which they have just arrived to their step-father Rodger (Kim Glyngell), Jeff hatches a plan to murder him and reclaim their rightful inheritance. Reluctantly, Terry agrees, and the first half of the film revolves around the differences between these dueling ideologies. While Jeff has plotted this crime down to every minute detail (wait for Rodger at the family estate and then fake his suicide), Terry is there primarily because he wants to support Jeff and has always done what his big brother tells him to do.

Clayton Jacobson is an accomplished actor, and with Brother’s Nest he delivers a distinct filmmaker’s vision. The first half of the film some might find plodding, as it develops in a singular location while two characters simply go about random conversations about their lives and pasts while cleaning or snacking, biding their time until Rodger arrives. But as the film rolls into its second act, it becomes readily apparent Jacobson has been meticulously building this carefully constructed world so he can tear it all down with a flash of darkness and flush with emotional resonance.

Leading the way are the Jacobson brothers, each bringing specific tics and nuances that immediately establish the roles they play in this dour tale. Clayton’s Jeff feels eternally slighted and entitled, carefully dancing between leader and victim as he manipulates his surroundings. While Shane’s Terry carries the eyes of a wounded puppy, desperate for love and acceptance, even as he agrees to murder a man he is not even convinced is worthy of such a fate. Both actors never prove less than genuine throughout Jaime Browne’s script, even as the twists grow borderline outrageous, and their perspectives begin to sharply come into focus.

With a setup in the vein of Hitchcock delivered through the eyes of the Coen Brothers, Clayton Jacobson’s latest directorial effort proves a showcase for his prowess at concocting a taut thriller amid the most restrictive of locations. Brother’s Nest leaves us with that “twist-of-a-knife in our backs” feeling we all share as we stumble into our annual family reunions.