Brother of Sleep is based on one of the most successful European novels in recent years by Austrian writer Robert Schneider. It tells the gripping and deeply sensuous story of a man torn between his eternal love for a young woman and the musical genius that consumes him. Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier (STALINGRAD), the film features the richly-detailed production design of Oscar-winner Rolf Zehetbauer (CABARET, DAS BOOT).
Shooting in breathtaking Cinemascope, director and cinematographer Joseph Vilsmaier recreates life in a remote Alpine village at the turn of the 19th century, where Elias Johannes Alder (André Eisermann) is born. The boy possesses a luminous musical gift which is seared into his soul at the moment of his birth. This power frightens and fascinates the villagers of Eschberg except for Peter (Ben Becker), Elias' only friend. The two boys spend clandestine nights in the town church, where Elias spontaneously creates masterful pieces on the church organ. When Elsbeth (Dana Vávrová), Peter's sister, is born, Elias is drawn to a lake where all the sounds of the universe crash in on him in a powerful and terrifying epiphany. He emerges bound both physically and spiritually to Elsbeth, and mysteriously connected to the timbres and frequencies of the world around him.
As the three grow older, their consuming passions become tragically intertwined with jealousy and loyalty, culminating in a destructive rage which tears the village apart. For Elias, love, like music, has finally become an act of fevered, exquisite madness.
Brother of Sleep is a film of haunting intensity and sweeping romanticism. Vilsmaier tells the story of Elias with a startling acuity that melds the harsh realism of this isolated hamlet with a profound mysticism that is both poetic and brutal. This film is an unforgettable blend of rapturous, exalted music, palpable visual images, and a cast that seems transported from another world and time.
Joseph Vilsmaier is best known in the United States for his award-winning films STALINGRAD and AUTUMN MILK. André Eisermann played the title role in KASPAR HAUSER, which won major prizes throughout Europe. Author Robert Schneider is a novelist and playwright who has won numerous prizes for Brother of Sleep, including the prestigious Robert Musil Prize of the City of Vienna and the French Prix de Medici. The book has been translated into 24 languages. Schneider also wrote the screenplay.
