Film

Mistaken for Strangers

Name: Mistaken for Strangers
Genre: Documentary, Music, Comedy
Released: 2013
Cast: Matt Berninger, Tom Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf

Family drama

A documentary following The National's tour that becomes a film about two brothers—one a meticulous rock star, one a chaos agent with a camera—and what it means to make art when you're not sure who you are yet. Funny, tender, and genuinely awkward in the best way. For anyone who's ever felt like the weirdo in a driven family.

TMDb rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sibling friction filtered through a camcorder, where the documentary's own clumsiness becomes part of the joke and the affection underneath stays visible.

Skip it if you want a straight concert film of the band's music, since the camera keeps drifting toward its own maker and the making-of gets more attention than the songs.

What it asks of you: A loose, brisk ride of about seventy-five minutes that shifts between backstage larks and quieter moments, asking you to keep up with a camera that never sits still.

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