My Blind Brother

Robbie (Adam Scott) runs marathons and performs other athletic feats to raise money for the visually impaired. Despite his blindness, he is a fierce competitor, winning cheers from fans, charity donors, and fawning TV reporters. Everyone loves him. Everyone, that is, except his resentful brother Bill (Nick Kroll), who’s sick of playing Robbie’s guide-trainer-wingman. Their fractious relationship boils over when the siblings fall for the same quirky girl. Rose (Jenny Slate), a self-described “superficial narcissist,” is drawn to the depressed Bill at first, but then her sympathy-meter tilts towards Robbie. Which brother will she choose? Shot in Northeast Ohio last spring, Sophie Goodhart’s sharp-edged comedy-drama crackles thanks to its talented cast and a script that ponders the psychological (and comedic) fallout from jealousy and envy. MY BLIND BROTHER was produced by Tyler Davidson’s Cleveland-based Low Spark Films. Davidson has screened several films in the Festival, including “Swedish Auto” in 2007 (31st CIFF) and “The Kings of Summer” in 2013 (37th CIFF). –C.O.