Bruiser (2022)

‘Bruiser’ is an intense drama that explores unresolved childhood trauma and how it can affect the people around us. ‘Malcolm’ (Shamier Anderson) and ‘Porter’ (Trevante Rhodes) are locked in a 15 year long rage that spills over into the life of ‘Darious’ (Jalyn Hall), the stepson and biological son of the two men, respectively.

Overcome with disappointment and resentment fueled by his dysfunctional relationship with his own father, ‘Malcolm’ is less than amenable to the idea of ‘Porter’, his childhood running buddy, re-connecting with ‘Darious’. After a familial meet-cute, ‘Darious’ begins a friendship with ‘Porter’ unaware of the paternal connection.

What begins as a positive and even healing experience for ‘Darious’, these interactions quickly devolve into a nightmarish spiral of bad decisions triggered by ‘Malcolm’s’ seething, violent hatred for ‘Porter. In his mind, ‘Porter’ abandoning ‘Darious’ as an infant after exhibiting some disturbing behavior, has permanently disqualified him from ever having a relationship with his son. ‘Malcolm’ also reveals some harsh judgments against ‘Porter’ that he has been stewing in based on their shared childhood experiences.

Overall, ‘Bruiser’ is a watchable project with great performances all-around. The musical direction is a masterclass on how to use the score to drive the tenor(pun intended) of a film. The haunting sounds perfectly match what the viewer is seeing. The cinematography was also exceptional.

However, I did take issue with the “tropey” nature of the film. It seemed to rely heavily on the stereotype of Black men having a proclivity toward violence. The story of ‘Darious’ seeking connection with his peers and the adults around him is a strong enough theme to carry the film. Showing Black men fighting each other is a recurrence we could have done without.

There was also a scene in which ‘Monica’(Shinelle Azoroh)'Darious’'mother, teaches a violin lesson during dinner time. Instead of ‘Malcolm’ preparing dinner, he and ‘Darious’ are seen eating take-out while ‘Darious’ is on his mobile. As a Black man, this was slightly offensive. Most Black men have some culinary skills, for sure. This seems to be an old, tired trope about men in general. A small detail, but significant. 

One more distraction for me personally was the decision to format the aspect ratio in 16:9. This is usually done as a literary tool to indicate competing timelines. Unless I’m missing something, it doesn’t make any sense here.

‘Bruiser’ has a palatable momentum that crescendos in the last scene of the movie. The continual escalation of aggression culminates in an unpredictable conclusion. Social and production critiques aside, this is an excellent film. It tackles a range of issues that unfortunately are a big part of so many childhoods. Another conversation starter for families.