Bruderehre (2008)

Bruderehre: Directed by Noreen Kershaw. With Benjamin Adnams, Chike Chan, Michael Dixon, Leo Gregory. When Dezzie befriends new boy Yasin at his school, little does he know his life will take an unexpected turn that will ultimately shape his future. Having witnessed the perpetual racist taunts and bullying to the quiet Chinese newcomer, Dezzie, no stranger to beatings himself, stands up to Yasin’s persecutors and wins the respect, not only of his tormentors, but more importantly of Yasin, and his family. Dezzie takes Yasin under his protective wing and they become firm and loyal friends until Yasin’s Godfather Kai arrives to take the teenage Yasin back to Hong Kong. Ten years pass without a word until Yasin, aged twenty-five, comes back to Manchester to find his friend Dezzie and offer him a lucrative position at his side within the family firm. But this is a firm with a difference: Dezzie, the only white man to do so this side of the Atlantic is to be a Triad member and run the family business in Manchester and Liverpool And here our story begins. Just as Yasin was once thrust into the weird and wonderful culture of Manchester Dezzie quickly rises through the ranks to becomes a linchpin in the world of the Chinese Triads, a world of family values and feuds, legal and illegal activities of the underworld, but also a world of beauty, love and above all; respect.

“Iu0026#39;ve just binge watched it up to the end of Episode 18. The initial premise is interesting, whether or not itu0026#39;s actually based in reality. You always need to grant some leeway with u0026quot;initial premisesu0026quot;, especially these days. I stopped watching 24 after the second season because I found it too infantile and silly. I did watch The West Wing through to the end. This is a sort of 24 meets The West Wing. The show lets itself down with too many loving gazes between the President and his wife (does she have any flaws at all?), some terribly clunky lines and worst of all, the relentless US Patriot, buzz word laden speeches. u0026quot;The American people deserve…u0026quot;. u0026quot;Rebuilding our amazing nation…u0026quot;. u0026quot;Rebuilding our fantastic Governmentu0026quot;. Thereu0026#39;s no mention of lobbyists or Corporate involvement in Government. Thereu0026#39;s no mention of the profound disconnect between citizen and Government that is a feature of contemporary politics. The various u0026quot;third railsu0026quot; of US politics are briefly mentioned. It is a show about a fantasy America and a fantasy American Government. Itu0026#39;s the TV Show version of America that is challenged by the initial events and it responds the way TV Show script writers think such a world would respond. Having said all that, it moves reasonably quickly and the split between the two story arcs is well handled and engaging. The only caveat is – if you find u0026quot;true blue, Mom and Apple Pie American sentimental patriotismu0026quot; too much to bear, youu0026#39;re going to struggle with this show. But itu0026#39;s probably worth bearing with, all in all. There are far, far worse shows on TV.”