When Chechen veteran, Danila (Sergi Bodrov Jr.) is sent - by his mother - to live with his brother in St. Petersburg he finds himself in the heart of the city's seedy underbelly. Once there, he meets a girl, discovers new music and gets himself a job... as a mafia hitman.
When his brother, who also works, gets into trouble, it's up to Danila to look out for him. Employing the cold, calculating efficiency he learnt during his combat training days, he risks his life for his own blood. Soon, however, family betrayal rears its ugly head, and things turn bad.
A powerful examination of life in a society hardened by violence and crime, Aleksei Balabanov's Brother is an unnerving look at the consequences of conscription and war upon a generation of young Russians.