At the Vancouver International Film Festival, I experienced the complexities of brotherhood in the western The Sisters Brothers. With Jonathan, we have another tale of sibling complications. This film, however, takes place in present day, and the siblings share the same body.

Ansel Elgort plays Jonathan and John; brothers that cohabit one body in shifts. Jonathan is conscious from 7am to 7pm, and John 7pm to 7am. Their daily routine and video messages to each other keep life in order, until John falls in love with a girl. From there, the brothers lives begin to fall apart.

The story is told from Jonathan’s perspective, with John only appearing on camera to communicate with him. It’s a brilliant creative decision that keeps the audience as much in the dark about John’s life as Johnathan is. I cannot express enough how expert Elgort is in crafting these two identities.

Elgort is able to convey so much emotion in this relationship between these two brothers that can’t physically be together, while lingering shots emphasize mood and tension in many scenes. Jonathan is a story about two people living one fragmented life, but it builds up to a conclusion that is heartbreaking, yet complete.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 2 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 2 | Reviewer's Preference - 2 | What does this mean?