In what might be one of the most selfless displays of cinema I've seen recently, Rocky Braat sold all of his possessions to move to India to live in an AIDs hostel for women and children as a sort of live-in volunteer. He functions as a father figure/big brother to the children there who treat them with the sort of deep abiding love you'd expect for that relationship.
This documentary has no hidden agendas "“ it simply serves as a way for director Steve Hoover to tell his best friend's story. While the film itself may not have the highest quality shots in regards to lighting and camera angles, it's clear that Blood Brother isn't just some edited together footage from someone's cheap flip camera; Hoover definitely knows how to make the best of what's available in terms of natural light and so forth.
Blood Brother doesn't shy away from the the sad and heart-wrenching aspects of Rocky's time in India, but it also balances that with a sense of levity. I laughed and cried alternately in the theater, and there were a few times that I did both.
This film is definitely a must-see, not for the way it sheds light on a different part of the world, though it does that, but simple for the way it highlights the self-sacrificial life of Rocky Braat. He moved to a completely different continent to be a combination of handyman/jack-of-all-trades and "Free Hugs!" tshirt wearer to a group of people who generally never feel accepted. That's a level of bravery and empathy rarely seen, and it should be celebrated and recognized.
