The film reminds me of two other films: Marty, a low-budget independent romance that won the Best Picture Oscar in 1955 and Big Night, which focuses on the close relationship between two very different brothers. Made on a $40, 000 budget, this film won the Best First Film award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film does not have a very original story and is fairly predictable but that is okay because it is not really plot-driven. Just like a Chopin Prelude played by many different pianists: the notes are the same and predictable but the overall effect can vary from terrible to sublime. This film approaches the sublime. It is about characters who can win our hearts very easily. There are five central characters: two brothers of very different temperament, their new girlfriends and an elderly black widower, all quite lovable. The brothers are in their twenties and have social problems that they must deal with. The plot starts weak but grows strong, as the brothers start to overcome their current problems but end up with new ones. The brothers are very close and positive with each other, in a most delightful way; each one helps the other just by being there. They are played by real-life brothers, who also co-wrote the screenplay with their close friend, the director. The older brother is overly serious and ambitious: "Goat on Fire". He is befriended by a wise, elderly, black co-worker, who is pining for his late wife. The younger brother is a personable fellow, who just glides through life: "Smiling Fish". Since the older brother brought up his younger brother, they having been orphaned, he is unable to look to his younger brother for direction but the old man is extremely wise, helpful and loving and becomes a father-figure for the older brother and a delight for the audience. I left the film with a very warm feeling that lasted for a long time.
Review of Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire
