Watch Brothers For Free

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

So much average

Good concept, poorly executed.

The first must-see film of the year.

Very moving film takes seemingly familiar elements (two brothers in love with the same woman, a Cain and Abel good brother/bad brother set up) and makes it complicated, disturbing and sad. Abetted by excellent performances all around, this Danish film tells of a woman whose husband goes off to the Afghanistan War an is presumed dead. She forms a bond with his previously"bad" brother who tries to clean up his act for her and her children in the absence of his brother... only to have the brother return home from war - having been a prisoner - a deeply damaged man.As in "Things We Lost In the Fire"€ Bier shows a knack for setting us up to assume we know the roads a story will tread, only to take us somewhere richer, more affecting and more deeply human. There are flaws, but any film that quietly packs this kind of emotional punch about the damage that war does, the way people can change, and the deep messy-ness of families deserves to be seen.

Having directed a string of "typical" Scandinavian movies, director Susanne Bier goes against conventions with Brothers, a strong product that deals very frankly with some universal concerns, mixed with a sharp look at a traditionally American film subject, i.e. the effects of war. And while the mix isn't always successful, it remains a compelling effort.The story, as suggested by the title, is that of two brothers, Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) and Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). One is a devoted family man and committed military officer, the other has just been released from jail and is generally considered the black sheep of the family. When Michael is declared dead after his team goes missing in Afghanistan, Jannik does his best to help his sister-in-law Sarah (Connie Nielsen) and his nieces, and eventually forms a very strong bond with all three. Of course, things get complicated once Michael turns out to be alive and returns home with serious emotional scars.Although not a Dogme movie, Brothers retains certain characteristics of the Danish film-making movement, most notably the relative simplicity of story and location, and the use of hand-held cameras to achieve a greater sense of realism. Paired with the almost Biblical theme (in fact, the film's Italian title is based on one of the ten commandments), it makes for a particularly strong experience, aided by the naturalistic performances of the three leads: Thomsen and Kaas, having already appeared in the likes of Festen and Open Hearts, are used to the Scandinavian style and pull off their work with typically heartfelt conviction. As for Nielsen, she is a genuine surprise in the wake of her long Hollywood stint (The Devil's Advocate and Gladiator come to mind, obviously), reverting to her mother tongue and a more stripped-down approach to her character.This isn't to say the film is entirely without flaws: the use of dream-like sequences to bookend the picture contrast quite negatively with the overall realistic feel (the Dogme effect mentioned earlier), and the running time is a bit punishing, with the war-centered part taking up a little too much space in the first half of the movie. But those are just minor quibbles that shouldn't prevent anyone from gaining a positive cinematic experience out of such a strong movie, especially since the American retooling is, well, a little too American.

I saw this gripping and haunting movie in 2005, and spent a long time thinking about it. I began a review, but never finished it because I could not find words adequate to convey the depth of my feelings; even now, I'm not sure that I can do justice to the story (which has been very ably described by many reviewers here already).Thematically, however, it's about a moral dilemma and a man's attempt to justify his decision - initially to himself, and then to others. Hence, in that, the story shares a similar theme as in Sophie's Choice (1982); those who have seen Meryl Streep as the agonist in that film know what she had to do.The twist here, however, is that the soldier faces inevitable death for himself, regardless of the choice he makes. The only question he must resolve is: if I do the right thing, I die immediately - if I do the wrong thing, I die at some other time. But, die I will...and so will another, regardless of what I do. Hence, in biblical terms, the viewer is implicitly asked: to what extent are we all our brother's keepers?Faced with that sort of choice, the soldier has only hope to hold on to - hope that he will not die too soon. And, fortunately for him, the plot allows the 'cavalry' to arrive before that happens.And that event sets up the story of that soldier's rebirth and redemption - all against a backdrop of a wife who thought he was dead, and an ex-con brother who puts his life on the line to help his brother come to terms with the enormity of his...choice, which may or may not have been a crime. I'd not seen any of these Danish actors before. Quite simply, they cannot be faulted in their performances. Technically, the film was well produced and presented. The script was brutally realistic, with the crucial torture scenes in Afghanistan almost unbearable.This is not a film for children. Nor is it a film for adults who cannot accept the truth about what soldiers can face in war.

The Danish film "Brothers" 2004 aka Brodre, w-d by Susanne Bier, is NFE (may not be for everyone). It's about love, a showdown of emotions (the opening music and repeated strains remind me of Sergio Leone's spaghetti western sounding tone). The fact that Michael ('Tour De Force' performance from Ulrich Thomsen of "The Celebration" 1998 aka Festen) keeping his traumatic experience within himself, unable to share with anyone, even his dear wife, is a sobering thought from the post-war effects. He's full of paranoia and is suspicious of everyone around him. It's so hard on him, on family members/children who do not understand what he had gone through that affected his 'warped' emotions and predicament. We cannot weather trauma alone.As audience, we were privy to what happened to Michael as a prisoner of war - we saw what he had to experience - the circumstance and 'no-choice' decision at the time. His determined will focused on 'must stay alive to see his family and loving wife again' kept him hanging on amidst fear and uncertainty under the atrocities/ravage of war. Learning to forgive oneself - to not blame yourself - is not easy to do. What happen happened under circumstances out of your control and yes, it's easier said than done to say that you mustn't bear the burden or guilt feeling within you. We need the love and support of family/people around us - to be able to trust them that they would listen and understand.Connie Nielsen as Michael's wife Sarah and Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Michael's younger brother, Jannik, provided an insightful portrait of the triangle of relationships that thrived and yet to survive. In the opening of the film, Bier has on screen along with intriguing graphic imagery and an eye close-up: "I will always love you. That is the only truth that remains. Life is neither right nor wrong, good or bad. But I love you. That's all I know." Towards the end, the graphic imagery and the eye repeated: "Life is neither right nor wrong, good or bad. But I love you. That's all I know." I caught on Sundance Channel, Dutch documentary filmmaker Heddy Honigmann's "Crazy" 2000, provides 'unpresuming' accounts of how some of the once Dutch soldiers or former workers of UN missions, are dealing with post-war effects by listening or tuning to music as relief. She also did "Good Husband, Dear Son" 2001, a documentary about the surviving women reminiscing their loss of husbands and sons during the 1992 Yugoslav civil war. It's heart-breaking films worth watching.From the PBS special of Dr. Wayne Dyer's Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling, I heard about Immaculée Ilibagiza's book (collaborated with writer-journalist Steve Erwin) "Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust" - sounds like the act of forgiveness can be easier to practice by learning from her autobiographical account. Couldn't wait to absorb from her shared spirituality.