The reason for screening this film again is the new version edited by Robert Frank and a brand-new print.Me and My Brother is perhaps Robert Frank’s most complex film. It incorporates black & white and colour film, montage, split screen, non-synchronous sound, voice over, fractures chronology, and many other cinematic devices to tell both fictional and documentary stories. An exploration of Julius Orlovsky, the catatonic brother of poet Peter Orlovsky, the film is ostensibly about mental illness and society’s reaction to it. Yet it also explores the complex relationship between cinema and truth, and raises questions about voyeurism, the parallels between acting and social behaviour, and the use of cinematic techniques to create an illusion of truth.Julius Orlovsky, after spending years in a Hospital in New York, emerges catatonic and is cared for by his brother Peter, who lives with Allen Ginsberg. Scenes of Julius at work, at home, walking around New York, and staring uncomprehendingly at dollar bills, are intercut throughout the film. Many people do not comprehend Julius’ condition, and Frank also questions his role as a film-maker and his effort to understand J. and his condition. (Paul Roth)
