Don't Be a Dick About It

Red-headed brothers Peter and Matthew are growing up at home in the American suburbs with their parents. They’re crazy about each other, but they’re also constantly at each other’s throats. Peter is obsessed with the TV show Survivor, and reenacts the elimination rounds every day in an uncompromising ritual. His younger brother Matthew is scared of dogs and is trying to get over it. Peter supports Matthew’s anxiety and Matthew supports Peter’s autism.

The camera follows them affectionately in their everyday lives, characterized by warm family life, fun and occasional furious arguments—they’re brothers, after all. They accept each other’s shortcomings but are equally quick to mock them, and their unconditional love for each other is tangible throughout. Filmed in warm colors with a laidback soundtrack, “Don't Be a Dick About It” takes Peter’s elimination rounds and Matthew’s visits to local dog parks as leitmotifs in an ode to American family life, craziness and friendship.