Mistaken For Strangers, Tom Berninger 2013
By Ali Tenenbaum
A film about being who you are, sibling rivalry and self–loathing, with a side-order of a band called The National. Tom Berninger is the brother of The National’s lead singer and is hired by the band as a roadie. He brings a camera along for the ride with the idea of making a rockumentary, though most of the screen time features the filmmaker in various stages of buffoonery. The result is raw, unprocessed and amateurish – in a good way. Tom portrays himself as an immature ne’er-do-well, a train wreck with fleeting moments of artistic talent. You flip flop between feeling sorry for him and wanting to slap him. He is a compelling anti-hero – the only thing Tom is famous for, it turns out, is quitting things (until now). His “character” does have an arc, albeit a subtle one.
Tom’s struggle to cull together the footage for his film is palpable, sometimes it seems like it's the first time he has ever picked up a camera. He often tries for humor - mockumentary style - that never quite gets off the ground. This autobiographical tale only scratches the surface of what darkness clearly lies within the Cincinnati Berningers.
Your kids will most likely get bored quickly and so will grandma, but all of this only slightly takes away from the movie as a whole. Perfect for home viewing.
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