Blood Brother: An Interview with Steve Hoover
Blood Brother is the touching story of Rocky Braat, a disillusioned young man from Pittsburgh who travels to India and begins working at an orphanage. There, he encounters medically fragile children who have been diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. Five years later and against all odds, Rocky has established a close bond with these children and makes an incredible decision to dedicate his life to the wellbeing of his new family, some of whom are on the brink of death.
The power of love and the yearning for family unity are themes featured heavily in this impressive feature documentary written, edited and directed by Rocky’s best friend, Steve Hoover. Steve travelled to India to visit Rocky and began filming his transformational life there. Not surprisingly, the film is a hit with audiences on the festival circuit, received favorable reviews from press outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety as well as accolades at the Sundance Film Festival.
IFQ’s Briege McGarrity enjoyed chatting with Steve about his documentary, its challenges and objectives as well as Rocky’s deep commitment to Children in Need in Southern Tamil Nadu, India.
Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): Blood Brother is a very compelling film – well done. Tell me about your first documentary experience?
Steve Hoover (SH): Thank you. The experience has definitely been a whirlwind and I’m very grateful for everything that has happened with the film. There has been a lot of great surprises and I’ve learned a tremendous amount through it all. I never expected to be where we are with the film, especially looking back to the long nights of editing and all the anxieties that came with the creative process.
IFQ: What is your aim in making this film?
SH: I had wanted to make a documentary for a few years but didn’t have any direction or subject. Rocky had been living in India for over a year when it just kind of dawned on me to document him. I had the resources and nothing to lose for trying. He had been inviting me to come and visit him in India anyway. After sharing the idea to do a documentary about him, he was very much open to the idea and so I began to move forward with it. Originally, I just wanted to share Rocky’s story. When I finally made it to India and began to see what he was doing, I realized that I wanted the film to be more than just sharing Rocky’s story. I wanted to help.
IFQ: What is your film background, I understand you went to art school?
SH: I initially wanted to be a fine artist, but through a series of events I ended up going to a commercial art school. On an impulse, I shifted my focus to digital media production rather than dropping out. While in the new major I met Danny Yourd, the producer from Blood Brother. Danny and I started a small company making music videos which eventually lead to us being hired by Animal in Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve been a commercial director with Animal for about six years and continue to do that. When I changed my major, I had the desire to do a documentary but didn’t pursue that until Blood Brother, almost eight years later.
IFQ: Initially, what did you think about your friend Rocky going to the village of Tamil Nadu, India?
SH: Rocky invited me to join him on his first trip to India, but I declined. I didn’t have a passion for travel, so he went with another friend. I figured Rocky was just on an adventure. He was a graphic designer, not a humanitarian, so when he returned that summer, I was taken aback by his desire to move there. I really wanted to discourage him from the idea but felt that would have been inappropriate as a friend. I honestly hoped that it would all blow over. He saved his money for a year, began to sell everything and counted down the days until the move. As time moved forward, his passion grew and I realized he was pretty serious. I did my best to support him against my better wishes. My entire perspective changed when I finally saw firsthand what he was doing.
IFQ: Were you surprised by the love for orphans that Rocky himself did not realize he had?
SH: Yes, it was pretty staggering. There were so many times that I was ready to check out and would have if I wasn’t with him. His relentless compassion felt impossible to keep up with. I’ll never forget being in the hospital with Surya and sleeping on the floor wishing I was somewhere “nice”. For as much as I grew to love the kids, I still don’t fully understand how he loves them so deeply. I know I couldn’t do what he’s doing.
IFQ: How was your experience of going to India for a visit and what kind of challenges did you face during the shoot?
SH: On my first trip to India I was thoroughly amazed by everything. Meeting the kids was incredible and I loved everything about the village. I felt like I had stepped back in time. Having a camera there was like going to the store hungry, everything looks good so you just roll away. That was the initial challenge, how do we not film everything? More challenges came as time progressed and I began to experience the more difficult aspects of India. The heat definitely took a toll, physically draining me. At times I had no energy. We began to face moral challenges with some of the content that we were filming as well. Is it appropriate to film a child suffering? Then there were technical problems with inconsistent power for data management and protecting the gear from the elements.
IFQ: Apart from a fractured family life growing up, what would have been Rocky’s main catalyst for such an inspirational decision to nurture children so far away?
SH: I really believe Rocky’s main catalyst was the compassion he felt for the kids which he learned on his first trip. During the first week of his initial trip, while visiting the hostel, he actually concluded that he hated India, so he and his friend booked flights to Australia to spend the summer on the beach instead. On their way to the airport, Rocky said he was overcome with the thought that he was making a mistake. So he got off the train, canceled his flight and went back to the hostel. From there he somehow pushed through all of his discomforts and really grew to love the kids. That love was something that he couldn’t shake and something that followed him back to the US until he finally moved.
IFQ: How long have you and Rocky been friends – can you describe the essence of your friendship?
SH: Rocky and I met in 2001, so we’ve been friends for about twelve years. I really believe that our friendship is unique. Rocky and I have done and been through a lot together. We essentially became adults together. We made life changing decisions together and we consciously work on our friendship. We talk weekly and help each other through our different challenges. We’re committed to remaining friends regardless of geography or life experiences.
IFQ: How has Rocky changed now that he is caring for needy and medically fragile children?
SH: Rocky is definitely more emotionally sensitive because of everything he has been through. His compassion seems to have grown and he understands the depths of the children’s needs, being so close to them.
IFQ: What kind of mental, physical and emotional strength do you need to be able to cope? It must be so heartbreaking to care for children afflicted with HIV and AIDS especially when you get attached?
SH: I believe you need an immense amount of strength and commitment to bear the challenges that Rocky faces. I see what Rocky goes through and also what the kids go through. I think empathizing with them helps him to cope in a lot of ways. The kids are also going through traumatic stresses. They lose family, are abandoned, alienated by their peers and experience instability with their health, all of which is not their fault. I really believe he learns a lot of strength from them. The life he lives is definitely heartbreaking though. He has fears of losing people and can’t predict how he will react if certain things were to happen. He fears losing heart from traumatic and hopeless experiences. Rocky also draws a lot of hope and strength from his spiritual life and relationships.
IFQ: Has the film helped improve conditions for these children and women?
SH: The living conditions for the kids in the home are actually pretty good by India’s standards. The kids that need it, are all on medication supplied by the government. They eat very well and the organization is very attentive to their medical needs. The kids do well in the orphanage, but tend to have a very difficult time when they reach the legal age limit for the home and have to live on their own. Because we are donating all the profit from the film, we hope that their conditions after the orphanage will improve. We are also connected with several other orphanages that aren’t in as good of shape and plan to improve their conditions with the money from the film. We are currently taking steps to make things happen.
IFQ: It’s wonderful to be able to fund the film on donations. It shows the subject matter strikes a chord with people. Is there a longer term plan to be able to help fund Rocky’s life in India?
SH: We set up a non-profit in response to Rocky’s work in India. All of our profit from Blood Brother is going to Rocky and the kids as well as other HIV/AIDS efforts. Our hope is that this money can be used to not only sustain Rocky for a long time, but accomplish some goals and dreams that Rocky has to further support the kids. We plan to build halfway homes for the kids to transition into society and start small businesses that the kids can operate. We also published a book of Rocky’s journal entries and photographs from his transition to India. One of the reasons that Rocky originally went to India is that he was a budding photographer and was excited to shoot in India. All profits from the book is also going to Rocky and the kids. We hope these things can be used to sustain him for a long time.
IFQ: I really hope you go the distance with this film. Is there a solid distribution plan in place?
SH: Thank you. We have a nice distribution plan in place. We worked hard with WME and Preferred Content to find the right places for distribution. You can read the full press release here: http://www.awardscircuit.com/2013/08/07/sundance-award-winning-film-blood-brother-gets-multi-layered-distribution/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sundance-award-winning-film-blood-brother-gets-multi-layered-distribution