It’s hard to imagine a more quintessentially San Francisco movie than the consistently entertaining, brutally honest, often amusing, and ultimately moving Brother Verses Brother, an hour-and-a-half-long moveable conversation with music that was shot in a single, uninterrupted take on the streets of the city and inside a few select locations. It gets its California premiere at the 48th Mill Valley Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 5, but its heart can be found across the Golden Gate Bridge in North Beach.
Brother Verses Brother is primarily a soul-baring discussion, part confessional and part argument, between twins Ari and Ethan Gold, sons of the renowned author and poet Herbert Gold who died on Nov. 19, 2023, at the age of 99. The Brothers Gold — extroverted filmmaker and musical dilettante Ari and introverted singer-songwriter Ethan — play versions of themselves with Ari trying to support Ethan’s search for a paying gig while they both fret about their elderly father’s health. As it happens, Herb Gold was alive when Brother Verses Brother was filmed. He’s a significant presence throughout the film, particularly in the brothers’ concern for his well-being, and he makes a touching appearance in one significant scene.
A few more people join the chat as the siblings walk through North Beach and up Russian Hill on an ambling expedition that’s sparked by crucial family matters, the pursuit of professional goals, and the possibility of romance — and undercut by their disparate approaches to life. The most significant addition to the Golds’ journey is a friendly, well-connected singer-songwriter played by Dutch-born, Bay Area-based musician Lara Louise. She commits to helping Ethan find a regular spot to perform, inspires Ari’s ardor when she joins the guys on part of their journey, and also contributes a tune.
Bringing music to the city’s streets
One of the stealth delights of Brother Verses Brother is the original music, especially the songs performed by guitar-slinging Ethan as he auditions at a couple of familiar watering holes (Vesuvio and Specs), as he duets with Ari (who strums a ukulele in accompaniment), and as he spontaneously rehearses on the sidewalk. Ethan’s climactic number, “Brothers Keep Goin’ Anyway,” is perhaps the most memorable musical moment, serving as a lovely and inspirational ode to his sometimes fractious relationship with Ari and to brotherhood in general. It’s also a melodious example of the power that art has to express joy and angst.
Brother Verses Brother is a refreshing change from standard narrative styles, while presenting something meaningful and extremely personal about the push and pull of filial bonds, the differences that can put loved ones at odds yet can also be complementary, and the responsibilities we have to those with whom we share our lives.
My Dinner with Andre, which eavesdropped on a wide-ranging tête-à-tête between actor-writer Wallace Shawn and director, playwright and actor André Gregory, might be the most familiar onscreen predecessor to Brother Verses Brother. But the former was static, essentially limited to a single table at a New York City restaurant, whereas Ari and Ethan are in constant motion, captured by an omniscient camera that follows and even pivots around them, taking the occasional side trip with one or the other brother. The intricacy and fluidity of the finished product is a tribute to the preparation by Brother Verses Brother director Ari and his crew, to the intimate and naturalistic back-and-forth between the Golds as they spill their guts, bicker, and tease one another, and to the technical expertise that allowed the afternoon-into-evening odyssey to be done as a nonstop tracking shot.
Refreshing and meaningful
Further cementing the San Francisco connection, local filmmaking legend Francis Ford Coppola is listed as an executive producer on Brother Verses Brother. Coppola’s Live Cinema — a hybrid film and theatre concept wherein a cinematic piece is created and performed live in real time — is reported to have inspired Ari to develop and execute the movie. However it came about, Brother Verses Brother is a refreshing change from standard narrative styles, while presenting something meaningful and extremely personal about the push and pull of filial bonds, the differences that can put loved ones at odds yet can also be complementary, and the responsibilities we have to those with whom we share our lives. It’s also a tribute to the history and the enduring allure of North Beach where Ari and Ethan wander and where Herb used to interact with his literary peers back in the day.
In addition to the Mill Valley Film Festival premiere of Brother Verses Brother on Sunday, Oct. 5, 8 p.m. at the Sequoia Cinema, there will be a second showing on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 3 p.m., also at the Sequoia. The cast will be in attendance for each screening. Another special event tied into the movie will be a free, all-ages Brother Verses live show at Sweetwater Music Hall on Monday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Billed as an evening of songs, poetry, and comedy about brotherhood, it will headline the Brothers Gold and feature a selection of special guest performers.
Updated Oct. 1 at 10:03 a.m. to add that Ari Gold is the director of Brother Verses Brother.