Brother's Keeper (1992) Sinofsky, Berlinger - Ward Brothers

Brother's Keeper is a 1992 documentary directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. The film is about an alleged 1990 murder in the village of Munnsville, New York. The film is in the "Direct Cinema" style of the Maysles brothers who had formerly employed Berlinger and Sinofsky.

The film contrasts two groups of society; people from rural areas and those from larger cities. It also exhibits how the media flocked to the town to cover the story.

This movie displays two completely opposite views of the Ward brothers. One opinion is that of the locals, who defend the Ward brothers as simple country folk. The other is that of the press, who stereotype the brothers as uneducated hicks.

• Category

  Nonprofits & Activism

[Josiaha Graham]

they did have a sister...their sister is my grandma

[Marzipan Reznor]

Thank you for uploading, goatboy192! For the people who watched this and enjoyed it, please check out "Paradise Lost," the second movie Berlinger and Sinofsky made. It's just as riveting as this one.

[eschenk97]

Hi, can anyone point me to the specific places in this where they discuss how it might have been a mercy killing? I'm doing a project, and I need a specific clip or two. Thanks!

[mmedefarge]

It won't be the first time that cops, prosecutors have conspired to railroad an innocent but mentally deficient person into false confessions for murder, for their own aggrandizement. The county ME seems to have some "mental deficiencies" of his own. perhaps a personality disorder?

[halfonit]

The guy that comes in at 1hr 11 mins into the video has got to be one of the most arrogant and pompous assholes I've ever seen. It's great!

[Gaylord Focker]

All we do is lie, lie, lie for what? money?

[flyinspirals]

It would mean any cases outstanding from previous years + those occurring in that year.

Note also that some cases are not recognized as homicides in the year the death occurred. It takes time for test results to come in (depending on the tests & the state) & for secrets to work through the grapevine. So there's lag time for both occurrence & resolution. Absolute numbers mean less than the pattern of change year to year.

[flyinspirals]

I watch crime docs, & cops/prosecutors talk like 'petechia' alone prove foul play. So I looked it up: "The most common cause of petechiae is through physical trauma such as a hard bout of coughing, vomiting or crying, which can result in facial petechiae, especially around the eyes."

William had chronic heart trouble. That can cause any of the above. Doctors know this. In the absence of any other signs, this M.E. traumatized a grieving family + made pointless work & expense for the public. Jerk.

[flyinspirals]

Oh, get over it.

[flyinspirals]

I didn't realize they made both --they're great films, & thanks, that got me looking at their filmography. There are some others that look good.

This film really opened my eyes about how class prejudice lurks in all our hearts. Thanks for the upload, goatboy192 (I like your name).

[suther751]

1:18:01 Oh god, what is he doing. Yuck

[suther751]

I love when people get together to take on the establishment. These bastards need to answer for their actions and remember these are real people, not hicks.