The title of the song He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother by The Hollies is supposedly taken from an anecdote about a young girl. 

The story goes that she is carrying a big baby boy in her arms when someone, seeing her struggle, asks her if she needs any help to which she replies, “No, he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

Perth director David Vincent Smith’s new film — He Ain’t Heavy — and this anecdote resonate deeply with the themes of the film, which follows Jade, a young woman who kidnaps her drug-addicted brother, Max, and locks him in their grandmother’s house for seven days in a desperate attempt to force him into rehabilitation.

The idea for the film came to Vincent Smith in a moment of desperation when he literally thought about kidnapping his own brother.

“I was really desperate to resolve this problem within my own family. I got to the point where I literally came up with the idea of kidnapping my own brother. Most of the conversations, the language, the intensity, even the ending of the film are all real moments from my life,” says Vincent Smith.

While the kidnapping itself is fictional, Vincent Smith strives to capture the intense emotions of trying to help a loved one struggling with addiction. The film began as a short titled I’m Not Hurting You, and after its success, he adapted it into a feature, enriching the narrative with additional characters and deeper exploration of existing ones.

“In early drafts I wouldn't let the characters say certain things and that was because I wasn't ready to say those things,” he explains. “So part of the writing process when I was writing the feature film was also part of confronting my own chains and feelings.”

Vincent Smith says he was inspired to make the story into a film after seeing some of the personal responses the short film evoked. At the Austin Film Festival, a transformative moment occurred when a 14-year-old girl approached him, sharing her struggles with her mother’s alcoholism.

“She grabbed me by the arm and said, "My mom's an alcoholic. I've never told anyone before. Can you help me? What do I do?’”

In He Ain’t Heavy, Jade takes her brother’s treatment into her own hands, reflecting Vincent Smith’s scepticism toward existing rehabilitation processes. 

“Unfortunately, we’re not getting to the core of healing. That’s why people keep getting reincarcerated—we’re not understanding why they’re angry and treating that,” he says. He believes the prison system should function more like a radical hospital, focusing on underlying issues rather than punishment. 

The film’s dark and raw portrayal creates an emotional viewing experience. Vincent Smith doesn’t use comic relief or stylised cinematography to soften its nightmarish themes. Instead, audiences, like the main characters, feel the isolation and desperation confined within the house’s walls.

This rawness demands equally vulnerable performances from the cast. Leila George (Animal Kingdom) and Sam Corlett (Vikings: Valhalla) deliver powerful portrayals of Jade and Max, respectively. 

The film truly relies on their two performances, and they are sure to inspire some watery eyes and Vincent Smith emphasises the importance of creating a safe environment on set to facilitate these authentic performances.

“We shared a lot of stories, and we formed a really important bond, so that we could always feel incredibly comfortable and honest and vulnerable with each other. And it’s not only just casting the cast, you’ve got to cast the crew to create an environment where actors feel safe and comfortable,” says Vincent Smith.

He Ain’t Heavy releases in select cinemas on October 17. Dark, intense and emotionally gripping, the film explores the limits of care, the best ways to support someone battling addiction, and the significance of family.

A preview screening with a Q&A session featuring Vincent Smith will take place on October 14 at the Dendy Cinemas in Newtown.