The brother movie is the story of the Karouani family in France and their daily life with Kaïs, their son, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Duchenne is a degenerative muscle disease. In France, it’s called Duchenne myopathy. There is no cure and no hope of recovery. The life expectancy of people with DMD is 20 to 30 years. Every day, every week marks the loss of muscle strength and autonomy for youth with DMD.
The brother movie follows Kaïs, a young adult in his 20s, at a time when DMD is hitting hard. On awakening, every morning, he needs the help of his parents and brothers, Fehd, the bodybuilder, and Zaïd, the ninja, to cope with DMD.
Between dreams and living the disease
This short film reveals two parallel universes: the imaginary world in which Kaïs takes refuge with the animated heroes of manga; and, his difficult mornings in a body weakened by disease. The film presents five mornings in his life, as seen from the perspective of different family members, who take turns getting him out of bed in the morning. It is difficult for his family to accept the prospect of Kaïs’ death at such a young age, but it’s just as difficult for them to watch his suffering.
The brother movie presents a unique perspective of DMD. Film sequences switch from the reality of living with DMD to Kaïs passion – his animated dreamworld of manga. This short film alternates between animation and real-life shooting to connect viewers to Kaïs’ inner life and the real life that people with DMD and their families must endure.
A film to raise awareness about DMD
Strong in emotion, this short film puts a human face on this terrible disease. This awareness is essential to the development of new treatments for DMD. The wide distribution of this film will sensitize the public to this disease.
The production team
- Producer: Amélie Lambert Bouchard, email: amelielbouchard@extjour.com
- Learn more about this production: >here <
- Facebook Page Le Frère
Mireille Roy, President and Founder of Tecima Productions, produced this article > Facebook Tecima Productions – Tecima.com
