Brother

In Depth with the Director - Lisanne Sweere

Tell us a little about yourself and your background in filmmaking

I have been working as an actress now for 10 years, in film, theatre and TV productions. This is my first film as director. I started feeling like I really wanted to tell my own story. Making my first film was super fun and challenging. I felt very comfortable with the actors, but the technical stuff was new to me. I am super happy that I got the chance to work with amazing people, some very experienced and others who were not.

How did Broer first come together as a project?

It all started with my idea "I want to make a personal and authentic film", then I started writing and found a producer in my hometown who I knew from when I was 14 years old. We started a crowdfunding campaign and people donated 10,000 euros, which was better than expected. I used my childhood experiences to create the story. A lot of this really happened, but I also made things up to make the story work. It was such a surprise for me that a lot of people wanted to work with me on this project without being paid. It really touched me that so many people wanted to help me to tell this story.

Mental health is still a topic that remains quite taboo in modern society. Why did you decide to take it on as a topic for the film?

I chose the topic of mental health for my film because I saw a lot of people struggling in my childhood. My brother, who had a psychosis, inspired me to make this film. I realized that it was always such a hard thing to explain or to talk about. I think this happens a lot. People don't talk about their mental health issues because they are afraid that people might think that they are crazy, or they feel like they are the only one. But it happens so often. I just want everyone to talk about it. Also when someone's family member, partner or close friend is struggling. We should be more open about it.

This film came together through some crowdfunding. What was that process like and how did it affect the making of the film?

Well, this was a very exciting process. I had never done it before so I had no idea what to expect. I was nervous because it was the first time I would share this story with everyone but it all came out really well. People started reacting with a lot of love and care. And people started donating. We had an 8000 euro goal but ended up with 10,000 euros. The funny thing about crowdfunding is that you already have an audience before you make the film. Everyone who donates feels invested and starts to ask about your project all the time. This kept me going.

There are some wonderful performances by your cast, many of whom are younger. How did you direct their performances to get such a natural feel to the film?

Thanks a lot! I worked with all of them a bit differently. For Jonas Coppus, who played the brother with the psychosis, I gave him things in his head to play with. For example: "Imagine that there is someone on his way to attack your house and you have to pay attention". These kinds of things make him look like something going on in his head. It doesn't matter that you don't know what exactly he is thinking about. The audience just sees a boy who's acting a bit odd. For his little brother Ivo [Melle Schram], I noticed that he reacted very well to "method acting" techniques. For example when he is searching for his brother in the film I made him think about his own mother. "Imagine your mother is about to die and you need to find her ASAP!"

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?

The biggest challenge was to keep going when COVID was going really bad again. We first planned everything for march 2019, then we rescheduled for nov 2019. And then just before our shooting days, COVID regulations changed and some crew members got scared and left us. Just 2 weeks before the shoot. We were so close to not being able to shoot. Also location holders got scared and cancelled the location. Me and the producer, Ramon Etman, really gave everything to do it anyways. We even used his mother’s house to shoot. She is in her 70s and she left her house for a few days for us to use it. Such a sweetheart.

What projects are coming for you in the future?

I am working on a new short film about a 16 year old girl with an Islamic background. I love main characters who are in their puberty. It is such an interesting phase. Let's hope COVID makes it a little bit easier this time.

Do you have any message for our Melbourne audience?

Talk about your mental health issues and celebrate the good times!