Film: Mistaken for Strangers / The National

Elbphilharmonie+

This event has already taken place! 5
This event has already taken place! 5

As is well known, the band The National consists of the twins Bryce and Aaron Dessner, the brothers Scott and Bryan Devendorf and singer Matt Berninger. But Matt has a (younger) brother himself: Tom.

While Matt is feted all over the world as a rock star, idolised by groupies and with personal acquaintances like Barack Obama and Werner Herzog, Tom still lives with his parents at the age of 30, listens to heavy metal and makes amateur horror movies. But how would it be if Tom accompanied his brother’s band as a roadie? Overshadowed by his complicated relationship with Matt and the search for a meaning to his own existence, Tom does pretty much everything differently on the road, causing total chaos, which he films with unbroken enthusiasm.

The end result is a mix of tour record, pseudo-documentary, slapstick comedy and psychoanalysis of a complex pair of brothers – featuring lots of music by The National of course. Or, to put it in the words of filmmaker Michael Moore: »One of the best band documentaries I’ve ever seen«.

Festival

Reflector Bryce Dessner