Brother of Sleep

Set in an Austrian mountain village in the early nineteenth century, Brother of Sleep follows Johannes Elias Alder, a boy regarded as odd by his neighbours. He grows up drawn to music, teaching himself to play and repair the church organ, and he becomes a figure of both wonder and resentment in the community. His bond with Peter and his love for Peter's sister Elsbeth shape much of his life, while misunderstanding, envy and unreturned feeling press on him. Directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, this 1995 German-Austrian production is his second feature, arriving two years after Stalingrad and ahead of Marlene and Nanga Parbat. The screenplay was written by Robert Schneider and Vilsmaier, and the cast includes André Eisermann as Elias, Dana Vávrová as Elsbeth, Ben Becker as Peter, Jochen Nickel, Jürgen Schornagel and Paulus Manker.

Running 132 minutes, the film is a drama built around music, isolation and village life. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 1,700 votes, while on TMDB its rating is 6.7 out of 10 from a much smaller group of 36 voters.