Roger, My Brother

A sibling bond that outlasts memory, silence, and time.

Roger, My Brother is a Canadian documentary directed by Jean-Vital Joliat, filmed in black and white over an extended period in Alsace. The film centres on Christiane, an elderly woman who has taken her brother Roger into her home after he was left without adequate support following a period of personal crisis. Roger lives with a progressive neurocognitive disorder, and Christiane's round-the-clock presence is what allows him to remain in a familiar domestic environment rather than enter residential care.

The film unfolds through the rhythms of daily life: small gestures, shared silences, moments of humour, and the slow routines that structure each day. Christiane assists Roger with tasks such as brushing his teeth and shaving while preserving as much of his autonomy as possible. She learns, instinctively, not to place him in situations where he might feel he has failed. The camera observes rather than explains, resisting dramatic narration in favour of sustained, respectful presence.

Joliat, a Franco-Swiss-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal, shot the footage over time but waited years before editing it, feeling that the subject required both distance and human maturity to handle with care. The film was edited with the collaboration of friends specialising in music, sound design, and colour grading. Shot in 1.66 format with digital 5.1 and stereo sound, and presented in French and Alsatian with English and French subtitles, it runs 88 minutes.

Rather than documenting the medical progression of dementia, Roger, My Brother focuses on what persists when memory withdraws: attention, fidelity, and a form of companionship that exceeds language. The film invites reflection on dignity, familial responsibility, and the meaning of accompanying someone who is gradually moving away. It has been recognised at festivals in Switzerland, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Greece.