The Brothers Bloom is one of those movies that must have been an actor’s dream to make. And by dream, I mean psychoanalytically.
The quirky comedy tells the tale of two con-artist siblings — older brother Stephen (Mark Ruffalo), who always masterminds the swindle while his disheartened kin Bloom (Adrien Brody) reluctantly plays the lead role, secretly yearning for a life that hasn’t been written and conceived by his brother.
Now that’s got to get into an actor’s head, doesn’t it?
“There’s a certain kind of crossover that happens,” admitted Ruffalo during an interview to promote the film (which opens next Friday).
“I’ve been working a lot for the past couple of years and you realize you’re probably spending more time as somebody else than you are yourself in the course of a day. It’s a little dislocating.”
“Interestingly, I’ve gained insight and understanding in my own life from fictional characters I’ve played because of the work to try and understand their dilemmas,” added Brody, who won the Oscar for his role in The Pianist.
“The difference that I have between Bloom is that he doesn’t have a life to go to and he’s completely paralyzed when he’s not invested in a con…he’s like a method actor who can’t break free from those roles — it’s tragic.”
Written by acclaimed sophomore director Rian Johnson, The Brothers Bloom blurs the lines between reality and fantasy creating something of a frenetic fable-heist story.
For those who haven’t yet discovered the filmmaker through Brick, his bizarre-but-fascinating freshman noir-drama, the fresh sensibilities will undoubtedly be a new cinematic experience.
“This was such a unique experience for me as an actor,” added Brody. “Stylistically and storytelling-wise, it’s very complex and rich. I appreciate (Johnson’s) depth and ability to do that so I’m a fan of his too.”
