Hey Bro

There’s something to be said for a filmmaker who manages to make what they want without any budget and nothing but a smartphone as a camera setup. From that point of view, Josh Rutgers is doing something quite respectable with Hey Bro. The DIY attitude of just going ahead and making something with nothing is something that tends to be a bit rarer in film than it is in other art forms, and for all its faults this carries a level of charm with it because of that. Although this is just a ten-minute sequence from a feature film, it’s already clear to see exactly what kind of film this will be.

It’s no surprise that this is mostly improvised, as it comes across as completely random for a good chunk of its runtime. The first half is centred around a confrontation that initially wouldn’t look out of place as part of a backyard wrestling promotion’s home video release. As the confrontation develops it really just ends up looking and sounding like the kind of playfighting that we’ve all been a part of at school. Nothing seems all that consequential or that well thought out, and there aren’t any payoffs that come from it.

Even more confusing than its narrative, however, is how it’s edited. During the central confrontation, there are multiple points where lines of dialogue are cut off just to be repeated, almost like an action replay but without any action to replay.

There’s a feeling that this is a film that only exists because someone fancied making a film, and there is a space for that. With modern technology, the process of making a film is more accessible than it’s ever been. That’s something that should be celebrated and encouraged. It is a shame though that in this case there appears to be little in the way of any thought going into it.