Mistaken for Strangers (2013)

Tom Berninger chronicles his time spent on the road as a member of the tour crew for The National, the rock & roll band fronted by his brother, Matt.

Director:

Tom Berninger

Stars:

Tom Berninger, Matt Berninger, Bryce Dessner

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Matt Berninger	...	Self
Aaron Dessner	...	Self
Bryce Dessner	...	Self
Bryan Devendorf	...	Self
Scott Devendorf	...	Self
Brandon Reid	...	Self
Carin Besser	...	Self - Matt Berninger's wife
Isla Berninger	...	Self
Nancy Berninger	...	Self
Paul Berninger	...	Self
Barack Obama	...	Self (as President Barack Obama)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dawn Barger	...	Self - band manager
Tom Berninger	...	Self
Annie Clark	...	Self
Ira Kaplan	...	Self

Storyline

In 2010, rock band The National were about to embark on the biggest tour of their career. After ten years as a band, and five critically acclaimed albums, they were finally enjoying wider recognition. Lead singer Matt Berninger invited his younger brother, Tom, to join the tour's crew. A budding horror filmmaker, Tom - who is nine years younger than Matt and listens exclusively to heavy metal - decided to bring his camera along. Tom's at sea in the world of indie rock, and living in his brother's shadow brings out the younger sibling in him - he drinks, complains, and struggles to balance his ambition with his tour responsibilities. The result is a film about brothers and about making something of your own.

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Plot Keywords:

heavy metal | singer | indie rock | rock band | post it note | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Opening Night: Mistaken for Strangers (2014)

User Reviews

Hilarious Documentary

Wow, this was not what I expected. I haven't laughed this hard at a documentary since Michael Moore stopped doing them. Briefly, it's loosely based on Matt Berninger's brother Tom's attempts to make a movie about the band.

I have to admit, I had to suppress my inner cynic at many points (who's doing all the filming of Tom? Who's idea was it to come on tour really? Is he really that thick??) but whoever came up with the idea of having Tom do this obviously had some idea what the results would be. I mean one meeting with Tom would have indicated that he would not be capable in pulling together some kind of coherent documentary. As they say, it takes a very smart person to act dumb. But then again some people are just dumb.

When Tom is behind the camera he is strangely reminiscent of Jack Black at his bratty best. He's disappointed that being on tour with a rock band is actually quite boring. He doesn't really have much interest in any band members other than his brother and he uses these conversations to try and understand his relationship with his brother a bit better. The most arresting scenes are when Matt loses it with Tom - they feel very real and you know you are watching that fraternal relationship that has a lot of history.

I love the National but, to be honest, that's of little consequence. Love them or hate them, you will laugh at this (very short) film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 March 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mistaken for Strangers

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$87,743, 30 March 2014

Gross USA:

$138,991

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$253,285

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color