SXSW ’26: Let “Brian” Break Your Heart and Tickle Your Funny Bone
This review was originally posted on Film Obsessive.
In 2007, Jeffrey Blitz wrote and directed Rocket Science. It’s an HBO Film that largely flew under the radar unless you were also once a teenager trying to work their way through Anna Kendrick’s filmography. The teens in it are ruthless in their aspirations for high school success. The humor is dry and dark, a cult comedy that isn’t even well known enough to be considered that. Will Ropp’s SXSW-premiering debut feature, Brian, shares a lot of the same weird DNA as Rocket Science. Both are films about under and overachievers desperate to find something they’re good at. Rocket Science was a boy with a stutter who tries out for the debate team while Brian is a boy with OCD and intrusive thoughts running for class president.
Above all else, Brian (Ben Wang) wants to be good at something. We meet him standing in his brother Kyle’s (Sam Li) room looking at the trophies he has amassed. Brian’s room is notably absent of any awards, but he plans to audition for the school’s drama production as an attempt to change his fate. His monologue is going well, but when the teacher refuses to give him any feedback, he spirals. Brian calls these moments where he’s overcome with anger, when the world feels like it’s closing in on itself, his freakouts. He struggles with OCD and intrusive thoughts which flare up when he’s in a stressful or uncomfortable situation. As a high school student, there’s about one of those per day.
courtesy of SXSW
Wang is a name you’ll want to pay attention to. Last year, he was part of the stellar ensemble of The Long Walk. He had Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass from Wet Home American Summer creator David Wain premiere earlier this year at Sundance, plays the lead in Brian at SXSW, and will star in the latest installment of a little franchise you may have heard of: The Hunger Games. Wang is something special and Brian solidifies it. There’s not a single scene in the film without Wang and he has to run an emotional gauntlet. This is such a powerhouse showcase for Wang, one that he accepts seemingly with such stride and ease. He offers such an intimate look at life with a mental illness. How frustrating it can be to be different from other people, especially when they’re your family members. Wang’s portrayal of Brian is so empathetically approached that it makes it easy to feel for Brian when he’s making some unkind decisions.
Brian is the sort of film that will make you laugh and cry with the best type of ending for a movie. It’s one of those instances where your cheeks are still wet from tears as the credits begin to roll, but in a way that makes you feel connected to the large, smallness of the world. It’s a heaviness that is somehow buoyed by a lightweight sensation. That’s why we go to the movies. That ineffable contradiction of how heartache can bring us comfort when we see it on the silver screen. As Nicole Kidman famously says, “heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” Brian reminds the viewer that a lot of life is out of our control and we must be brave to change the things we can to be a better friend, brother, and person in the world. As Brian’s mom says, “there’s going to be good days and fucking awful ones, but you’re never going to go through them alone.”
Oddly, there have been a lot of sibling-focused films at SXSW this year. It’s a difficult dynamic to capture, but one Brian does so well. Brian and Kyle’s bickering feels sincere. We understand how a middle finger is the equivalent of saying I love you. They’re not always nice to each other, but by the end, they do recognize that they want the best for one another. It’s a tough lesson for siblings to learn, especially when they are so different. Kyle is just one part of this family and the parents (Randall Park & Edi Patterson) are in the running for best guardians in a teen movie. They are dryly, darkly funny in a way that often takes Brian and the audience by surprise. Even when they razz him, it’s clear they love him more than they can put into words.
Brian was written by Mike Scollins, a longtime writer for SNL and Seth Meyers, who served as a producer on the film. The script really shines through Wang’s incredible performance and under Ropp’s directorial point of view. The film is both gentle and heavy, a weight pressing on your heart. At times, it’s a hug and other times, it’s an ache. Brian is going to do a lot of good for people who live with OCD to give them a piece of representation while also informing those who don’t experience it what the reality of this illness is. Brian is an instant classic filled to the brim with comedy, heart, and love for this one life of ours.
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