Mistaken for Strangers (2014)

The Worst Film Ever

Sadly Over-hyped

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This is a pretty great film and as a fan of the national I'd been waiting to watch it for ages and it nearly pulls it off. It's funny affecting and obviously the tunes are great, the one thing that let it down slightly for me was the slightly 'scripted documentary' feeling I got in a few places, where you'd questions the veracity of what's happening and why there's a bunch of other camera people shooting a seemingly intimate set up. However, maybe this is being slightly pedantic. At the heart of the film it's a story about two brothers and their relationship and a very universal tale that I certainly related to, I found myself cringing and laughing in equal amounts. Overall well worth checking out.

Now that we know Tom's brother and sister in-law found a dreary, funny, at times embarrassing (until now) cameras view into his wasted, drunken aimless lifestyle while attempting not to have an all out mental break down filming his older brother, Matt and his band, display oodles more uuuum, conviction as the WORK and churn out one fan filled show after the other on a world tour. Luckily for him, Matt and his wife took time and explained to him that this actually enough footage to cover a house full of post it notes about. Only it wasn't the goal to film a documentary about on long held, maybe secret and never spoken jealousy Tom had over Matt for getting his ass out there and seizing life by the nads and putting together, with his band, The National, possibly the most brilliantly underestimated body of work in the history of modern music. Yes, fan boy here, and yes they really are that good, So, now that we know Tom can get off his ass and make a very heartfelt docudramedy about his improving life, can we now get a Documentary that's about The National? Geees, Tom, it's not all about you, ya know? On a side note. It was a great Brothers on a road trip movie. It was good to see you guys made it through and still love each other. Now, study up on "How to Give an Interview for Dummies", Drag out the, I'm sure pretty great concert footage, hop in the editing room and give us the real deal. Some of us are fans of the band too, ya know...For the rest of you that have not been following along, Id say, start by watching Tom's doc, then listen to The Nationals album in reverse, starting with "Trouble Will Find Me" and when you've finished, check out Vincent Knights - The National: A skin, A night, A film. It's another solid 8 out of 10.

Music docs have a checkered history. Dig! might be the best of the recent bunch, but nobody came out of that looking good, lest of all the people it was intended promote. Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind were at once far too farcical and far too realistic, and really the whole "rockumentary" genre wasn't left with much wiggle room.This isn't a rockumentary. It certainly doesn't provide much of an insight into the National, although there are the odd interview with the lesser members who look, more often than not, drunk or confused or bored. No, this is about the Berninger boys. It's a study of how an overweight college dropout copes in the presence of his universally adored, alpha-male brother. It's very hard not to come out on Tom's side. Matt is aloof, pretentious and very egotistical (although at times he shows immense sensitivity to his brother's latent depression). Tom wants what Matt has. And this film is his personal journey into that. There's a deeply psychoanalytical element to this, which, intended or no, places it above say, Standing in the Shadows of Motown or Dig, which are straight up music profiles.Two scenes stand out for me. One, a drunken conversation between Tom and Matt's wife, both of whom are drunk. She knows that in most battles the alpha male wins. Look who she picked. The second, when Tom screws up and leaves Werner Herzog locked outside an LA gig.This film is terribly made; the director himself admits this. But in the end, for some reason, he's produced a profoundly moving portrayal of two brothers, and a world in which alpha males win. Fans of the National will be relieved to know that their favourites come across as nothing worse than somewhat humourless - a far cry from The Brian Jonestown Massacre. But fans of the National will appreciate the depressive undertones which are beautifully and subtly brought to the foreground.

Full disclosure: I am a longtime National fan, and I personally think that Matt Berninger is a genius. I watched this movie expecting a traditional band documentary, but even though I would have liked to see more live songs and other musical stuff, I found "Mistaken for Strangers" to be very entertaining and well crafted. Tom is Matt's younger brother, and the movie is mostly centered around his own experience joining the band on tour. He is immature, emotionally unstable, jealous of his brother's success, and kind of annoying, but somehow likable. One of the things that I liked most about the movie is the portrait of the different members of the Berninger family. They all seem like very nice people, and the love and respect that they have for each other (especially Matt and Tom) is evident throughout the film. Seems like both brothers have found a way to channel their own frustration through their art, and the results are very enjoyable in both cases. The movie shows that Tom really has filming talent, and I hope to see more of him in the future (but not exactly the B-class horror / barbarian flicks that he seems to enjoy making). My only complain is that I would have liked to see more of the Dessner and Devendorf brothers, and of course, more National music!