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MY BROTHER HAS BAD DREAMS
(1972)
Directed by Robert J. Emery
United Home Video VHS
Reviewed 01.12.06
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Dang, Karl. If your dreams are this
unhealthy, I'd hate to see your
sister's. Imagine the cleaning bills!
My Brother Has Bad Dreams
is the most downbeat film I've ever
seen. So why am I not crying? Director-writer
Robert Emery (Ghetto Freaks)
made some good decisions. Instead
of bogging the narrative down with
characters we can actually relate
to, Emery spiced things up with
people that are bizarre. Very bizarre.
So bizarre, in fact, that it's impossible
to remove this suburban nightmare
from its own make believe context.
We are voyeurs into a house of repression,
non-communication, and very grisly
murders. Think you can relate? Our
hero Karl masturbates to his sister.
Put that in your pipe and smoke
it!
Karl (looking like an older Bill
Haverchuck from Freaks And Geeks)
has huge problems. He's a twenty
something man-child who lives in
a large house with his older sister,
Emma. At the age of ten, Karl witnessed
his drunken Father murder his wheelchair
bound Mother with a fireplace iron.
That's no good news. Today, Karl
lives a respectable life; sleeping
with mannequins, sweating profusely,
and wearing the same clothes everyday.
Don't forget about the sis-love,
either. Or the theremin-tinged,
rubber monster mask nightmares.
When drifter/'Nam vet Tony revs
into town on his motorbike, Karl
shares a homoerotic skinny dip with
the guy, then invites him over for
dinner. Slow down, Karl! Being a
28 year old virgin, Emma entices
Tony for a late nite tryst. She
convinces him to stay a few days.
After all, Karl "needs help."
What happens next is surprising,
unsettling, and incredibly effective.
My Brother Has Bad Dreams
isn't the most well acted movie
in the world. There's also a predilection
for long sequences of dialogue,
which sometimes spin the wheels.
Plot? Not really. Luckily, none
of that matters. This film breaks
the rules and engrosses you through
sheer curiosity. By the end, that
curiosity is paid off tenfold, climaxing
with a scene that manages to completely
shock and invoke sympathy.
Not an easy task, especially for
a low budget, Florida lensed rarity
with only a handful of actors on
display. If you peer behind the
locked front door of Emma's house,
it’ll stick with you. Long
after Karl has made his peace.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
What a mess. Strange, pixelated
blips; audio dropping to muffled
mono, then back to crunchy stereo;
sudden spurts of blackness; sometimes
out-of-sync audio. Who spilled pickle
juice on this tape?! The main title
is the victim of a sloppy cut, replaced
before the film starts with a stark
and mismatched title card.
EXTRAS
Forget the trailers or logo spreads.
There's not even an FBI Warning.
FINAL THOUGHTS
My Brother Has Bad Dreams
is a powerful obscurity. Not quite
smart, but never dumb, the emotional
detachment makes for a very entertaining
peek into the lives of people that
are anything but boring. Seek it
out right now. |
Don't be shy, Karl
She's a mannequin, she understands
The bad dreams
Postmaster Bloody
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