Zolotukhin is the son of a Russian air force pilot himself so he was granted access to a Russian military base and real fighter planes as well as real pilots and cadets for his film, which gives Brother in Every Inch access to authenticity that makes this film stand out. Speaking on Berlinale Meets he said: “I spent my entire childhood on airfields and I love this topic and feel a great passion for it.”

Born in Zaporozhye in the former Soviet Union, in what is today Ukraine, graduated from  Alexander Sokurov’s directing workshop, Nalchik, and the director paid tribute to the great Russian master as being an important influence on has work. Today he lives and works in St Petersburg.

The story according to the notes is one of two twin brothers, Mitya played by Nikolay Zhuravlev and Andrei played by Sergey Zhuravlev, whose greatest dream is to become fighter jet pilots. The director managed to find real life twin brothers to play the roles. The brothers sign up for Russian military pilot training. The twins watch out for each other in every situation. If one fails a theory test, the other steps in. In practical exercises, it is the other way around: when Mitya’s vestibular system falters, Andrey assists him in his training. Cutting the cord between the two brothers becomes a challenge. The aptitude test is coming up and the accompanying test flights turn out to be a difficult experience for everyone. Their flight instructor played by Mikhail Klabukov who is also a pilot in real life is not the only one to recognise that adhesive forces of a different kind prevail between the brothers.

The director said he was interested in how kind people behave in extreme circumstances. He wanted to explore the themes of war, boyhood, the bond between people and that these themes could be traced throughout the film. He also wanted to explore how love and close friendship can become a liability. He compared this to how trees that grow too close together in the forest can block the sun to each other.

The film is produced by St Petersburg based Proline Films and the French Loco Film are handling international sales. The Russian cinematographer Andrey Naydenov, who worked on Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades! shot the film. 

Credits: Brother in Every Inch (Russia)
Directed by Alexander Zolotukhin
Cast: Sergey Zhuravlev, Nikolay Zhuravlev, Mikhail Klabukov, Alexandra Shevyreva, Vyacheslav Savelyev