Why would someone leave everything behind to devote their life to helping others? Director Steve Hoover explores that question in tonight’s documentary BLOOD BROTHER, the story of his long-time friend Rocky Braat, who did exactly that.

Why would someone leave everything behind to devote their life to helping others? Director Steve Hoover explores that question in tonight’s documentary BLOOD BROTHER, the story of his long-time friend Rocky Braat, who did exactly that.

The documentary is a multi award winner, taking home a Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance 2013 as well as the latter again at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. It is a beautifully filmed and moving watch, following Braat from his early years and troubled past through to his work in India with a group of HIV-positive children. He had travelled to India for a good look around and pretty much never left, so moved was he, when confronted with the sight of these brave youngsters.

So, where does the controversy that has surrounded this great film since its initial release come in? Well it’s surrounding the issue of religion, and the role it plays in both the director and the subject’s lives. Not long ago a series of articles about the documentary grew into a larger discussion about how critics and filmmakers deal with the issue of religious faith. Many surrounded a discussion of the film's failure to acknowledge the fact that director Steve Hoover and subject Braat were members of the same Pittsburgh church, and wondered whether this was deliberately misleading or part of a larger phenomenon of Christian artists not wanting their faith to obscure their work. There is also the belief that Rocky is basically a Christian missionary who has been “converting the kids”. It is not shown overtly in the documentary, although critics have noted that more perceptive viewers might “pick up on” some of the religious allusion anyway. For instance, at the end of the film, Hoover says that while the villagers believe that Braat himself saved one child in particular, Braat claims it was “God” who saved him. That revelation seems at odds with an earlier scene where the subject dismisses the idea of a sick girl being better off in her temple than a hospital. Is he saying that his higher power is superior to hers, or are these critics reading too much into it? The subject is definitely open for discussion, but didn’t stop me from embracing Rocky’s work regardless.

So, is the documentary secretly Christian propaganda out to lure in the more amenable amongst us? I personally don’t think so - director Hoover just made a film about what he saw, from his perspective, and that perspective happened to be tinged with Christianity. And while the film itself doesn’t promote any link to a charity or “how you can help”-type scenario, its website does, and all proceeds from the film apparently go to the orphans and to AIDS/HIV initiatives. Can’t argue with that.

And for those curious as to what Braat is up to these days, PBS reached out to the filmmaker and got the following update:

“Rocky and Nimmy are doing very well. It’s been really incredible to see so many people reach out to help the kids. We really hope to extend support to other orphanages, which Rocky is in the process of doing. We’re about to begin construction on a modest place for Rocky and Nimmy to live in the village, which will couple as the first “halfway home” for kids transitioning out of the orphanage to adulthood. There are also plans being drawn to build a second halfway home. On top of that, many needs have been met as a result of people connecting with the film, all of which we are grateful for.”

Pretty awesome, yeah? Hidden agenda or not.