The key story or narrative device of Brother Number One is the ‘journey’, and this is used in several ways. The past and present are deliberately paralleled within the film, as the story of Kerry Hamill’s sea journey to Cambodia in 1978, and his subsequent capture, imprisonment and death by torture in the notorious Tuol Sleng death camp, is re-told from the point of view of Rob Hamill, his younger brother, also an ocean sailor, who travels to Cambodia for the first time in order to retrace his brother’s journey and attempt to explore and show the circumstances of Kerry’s disappearance and death. The narrative doubling is a deliberate device within the film which brings Kerry’s original journey back to life.
Further to this, Brother Number One consciously uses the personal story of Kerry’s death, and the devastating impact that this had on his immediate family in New Zealand, to stand in for the hundreds of thousands of innocent people who died under the KR regime and the legacy that has left for the family members who survived and the future generations of Cambodia. The immediate reason for Rob’s journey to Cambodia is the trial of ‘Comrade Duch’ the notorious commander of the Tuol Sleng prison, who has been tried as part of the ongoing Cambodian war crimes tribunal known as the ECCC.
Rob’s involvement with the court system, his meetings with legal personnel, the preparation of his witness statement, his appearance in court and, finally, the court’s verdict, is also a key narrative device in Brother Number One which is used to structure both personal recollections and unfolding events. In many ways, the trial of the man who might be held directly responsible for the brutal torture and execution of the wholly innocent Kerry Hamill, offers a focus for the emotions felt in the face of such cruelty and injustice; experienced by Rob personally (which we witness through the film) and by the film’s audience.
Leading up to the trial, Rob’s journey through Cambodia is structured by his desire to ‘solve the mystery’ of Kerry’s disappearance and death, thus the film is in part a detective story, uncovering clues, tracking down suspects, and gathering evidence. The film’s narrative therefore might be analysed in three ways: the parallel between Rob and Kerry’s ‘journey’; the use of the one family’s personal story standing in for the experiences of many others; and a narrative of investigation and the trial of the guilty.
1 | After viewing the film once, note down the strongest elements of the narrative. Which threads of the storyline stand out for you? Where does the story begin, and how does the beginning suggest what is to come?
FILM CLIP: BEGINNING
2 | If you have access to a DVD of the film, carefully map out the construction of the film’s narrative, paying particular attention to the ways in which it moves between past and present events, between factual information and subjective information (such as memories or thoughts), between New Zealand and Cambodia, and between action (which moves the story along) and reflection (which pauses the narrative). Why do you think that the film maker has unfolded the story in this way? How might it have been different if it had been purely chronological, following a more straightforward story?
Alternatively, if you don’t have access to the DVD and would prefer, analyse the following clip as an example of non-chronological narrative. Consider it in the light of the points specified above -- around action and reflection, the past and present, and between factual information and subjective thought or memory.
FILM CLIP: COMPUTER SCENE
3 | One the issues the filmmaker faced is how to balance the Western story (Rob and Kerry’s) against the bigger Cambodian conflict which saw so many millions of Cambodians suffer.
How did the filmmaker address this? For example, how is the Cambodian “voice” included in the film?
When Rob meets Cambodians in the film, how does he relate to them? What is he trying to find out, and what does he find out? What does the film audience learn as a result?
FILM CLIP: KULIKAR SOTHO’S STORY
FILM CLIP: CHUM MEY TORTURE (Warning, this has disturbing content)
4 | The complexity of the film’s subject matter and the ongoing nature of the Cambodian war crimes tribunal mean that this story does not finish just because the film ends.
Comment on the final images and words presented by the film: do they really end the story?
Does Rob seem to feel better about his brother? Do you think Rob believes justice has been, or can be, done? What do you think?
FILM CLIP: ENDING
