Baby Brother – Review
Baby Brother is a self funded micro-budget British drama with a big emotional punch. It isn’t interested in neat bows or Hollywood-style redemption arcs. Instead, it lingers in the mess – family ties fraying, memory playing tricks, and the kind of trauma that doesn’t just fade because time has passed.
The film splits itself across two timelines, five years apart. In the past, Adam and Liam’s relationship feels playful, often genuinely funny, occasionally tender and all captured in striking black and white that almost glows with innocence. Jump to the present, and colour takes over: muted, heavy, and unforgiving. That shift isn’t just visual, it’s emotional shorthand, showing the gulf between who the brothers were and who they’ve become.
There’s no gloss here, and that’s the point. The flashbacks are soft-edged, full of nostalgia, while the present-day shots feel drained and raw. Director Michael J Long leans into cramped rooms, concrete estates, and those overlooked corners of community life where both care and cruelty take root. The camera doesn’t dress anything up it just watches, letting the actors’ faces do most of the work.
Performances are everything. Rowan plays Adam with restless, guilt-soaked energy, while Brian Comer gives Liam a certain fragility, his battered toy dog Tyson says more about him than most lines of dialogue could. Together, they capture the uneasy push-pull of siblings who love each other but can’t escape the weight of shared hurt. AJ Jones as Rafa adds to the mix with a superb performance. In fact, no members of the main cast let us down, which isn’t always the case with low budget films.
If there’s a stumble, it’s in the pacing. The back-and-forth between timelines sometimes feels like déjà vu, and a tighter cut might have given the middle section more bite. But even then, the atmosphere doesn’t let up. Silence, pauses, and glances carry as much weight as any confrontation. I found myself questioning why the police hadn’t appeared at the home address, but other than that I was more than happy going along for the ride.
What sticks isn’t resolution – it’s unease. Baby Brother doesn’t tidy up trauma or offer easy closure. It stares it down quietly, and the impact lands in the spaces between words.
Rough around the edges it may be, but it’s purposeful, piercing, and the kind of film that stays with you long after the credits roll. There isn’t anything about this film that would hint at it being the directors debut and you can certainly see why it’s been nominated for – and won – awards.
For fans of stripped-back British realism – where the drama hits hardest in the silences – it’s one you won’t shake off quickly.
Baby Brother is available from 12th September 2025 on Google Play and YouTube movies & TV and other major digital platforms from Rugged Entertainment.
