In Kavan Otto and Ty Mann’s faith-based film, My Brother’s Keeper, soldier Travis Fox (T.C. Stallings) loses the faith passed on to him by his late-parents on the battlefield. The movie opens with his’ closest cohort, Ron “Preach” Pearcy (Joey Lawrence), engage with Travis in a deep and heated argument over Travis’ atheism stemming from the murder of his parents and the violent nature of war. Travis’ anger against God only deepens when Preach is killed in an IED attack the next day.
Travis returns home on extended leave. He can now experience normalcy and finally take care of some loose business surrounding his parents’ death. Helping Travis is family friend Pops (Gregory Alan Williams), the owner of the local coffee shop. Pops watched over his parents’ home while Travis was away.
“Travis’ anger against God only deepens when Preach is killed in an IED attack…”
Though, not everything at home is sunshine and lollipops. Pops’ son, Donnie (Richard Ri’chard), owes a lot of money to a drug dealer, and now Donnie and Pops are on the hook for it all. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Pops’ church is having problems as well. The building being used as a Veterans Support Center is falling into disrepair. Pastor Hood (Jeff Rose) and counselor Tiffany (Keshia Knight Pulliam) don’t have the funds or resources to fix it. Coincidentally, Travis is quite handy with big home projects.
As expected, faith and Christianity play a significant role in My Brother’s Keeper. It asks questions like where is God in great tragedy? Why would God allow good people to die? Why does God allow the horrific atrocities of war?
Along with addressing faith, it touches on Travis’ PTSD — a sense that his tour of duty has damaged him permanently. One can sense the filmmakers’ faith and goodwill throughout. My Brother’s Keeper is not just about religions but wants to connect with the veteran community and let them know that greater help is out there.
"…serves the faith-based genre well."
