The screen darkens. All that can be seen is a bible verse from the book of Genesis:
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, where is Abel they brother? And he said, I know not! Am I my brother’s keeper?
Genesis 4: 8,9
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the directors of Brother’s Keeper: A Heartwarming Tale of Murder successfully appealed to our sense of ethos, pathos, and mythos in just the first frame of their powerful documentary. Though it is not the most shocking or intellectually stimulating film, the story is composed with a detailed eye, sewn together by unexpected juxtaposition, candid personal experience, and choppy camera angles.
Since Brother’s Keeper is a documentary following Delbert Ward in his journey to prove his innocence in his brother’s death, the filmmakers’ approaches to enrapturing the audience are rooted in emotion; Berlinger and Sinofsky flawlessly capture the audience’s empathy by appealing to pathos. The interviews of the three remaining Ward brothers are conducted in their “home;” a filthy shack with two beds and thousands of useless objects. Not a bit of horrid detail is spared as we witness the personal testimonies of three soiled and confused farmers. How can one not feel sorrow for those living in such conditions? The reality of the situation is highlighted by the choppy camera work. As the cameraman clumsily zooms upon Delbert Ward’s pain stricken face we are reminded of the profound emotions associated with such a harsh situation. Near the conclusion of the murder trial Delbert Ward begins to shake uncontrollably. Oddly enough, the directors choose to use juxtaposition at this dramatic climatic point, alternating between trial scenes and a farmhand (hired by the Wards) brutally slaying a pig. The fear exhibited on Ward’s face is the same seen in the defenseless animal’s eyes. The fact that the Ward brothers had to hire a farmhand to butcher one of their animals is a testimony to their characters and another point hinting at Delbert’s innocence. On a lighter note, written text is used repeatedly to evoke a different type of emotion, humor. A five second flash of a church sign stating, “Delbert Ward- Found Not Guilty- $4.99 Beef or Ham Dinner” seamlessly encourages a chuckle in any audience. This comic relief is enough to keep Brother’s Keeper from being solely a dramatic and depressing tale of murder and deceit.
Brother’s Keeper is not a persuasive documentary, full of slants and one-sided arguments, yet it is not merely a retelling either. At the heart of the film, the directors use ethos to make the audience question the law and join forces with the underdog, Delbert Ward. We see numerous scenes of personal anecdote, contributing to the character depiction of Delbert. The citizens of Munnsville speak fondly of the aged farmer and rally behind him; they even go as far as holding a benefit dinner to cover his court costs. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky do an exquisite job of capturing the rural spirit of Munnsville and its inhabitants. It is seen as a place guided by good morals; a town unblemished by society’s evils, money and corruption. The few scenes we do see of the police and opposing lawyers are few and far between and often portray the law enforcement sector as antagonistic and privileged when compared to the simplistic Delbert. An interview with Captain Joseph Loszynski, a member of the bureau of criminal investigation for the NYS police, provides us with little more than the stereotype of high-ranking officials being stuffy and insensitive. The irony of his verbose statement coupled with the unsophisticated language of Delbert brings out a sharp contrast between what Ward calls, “city folk” and “us.” Through these ironies and potrayals, the directors urge us to see innocence and morals in Ward that seem to be absent from the enforcers of the “law.”
Exactly two decades have passed since the death of William Ward. In fact, all four Ward brothers have passed away and the exact details of William’s death still remain a mystery. Brother’s Keeper is not an expensive Hollywood feature film, but its simple filming of a simple story of murder will forever live on. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times remarks, “We gradually begin to get a sense of the three men, whose values and daily rhythms reflect lives of hard manual labor as they might have been lived centuries ago.” When a movie is able to capture the souls and personalities of its characters it has been successful in evoking their inner emotions to the viewers. When I first picked up the documentary from the library I was confused and intrigued by the paradoxical subtitle, “A Heartwarming Tale of Murder.” Yet as I watched, it was revealed to me, through the eyes of Berlinger and Sinofsky, that the best paradoxes are indeed true.
