Brothers (2004)

Danish screenwriter and director Susanne Bier's eight feature film which she co-wrote with Danish screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen, is inspired by Homer's poem "The Odyssey". It was shot on location in Denmark and Spain and is a Denmark-Norway-Sweden-UK co-production which was produced by producers Peter Aalbæk Jensen and Sisse Graum Jørgensen. It tells the story about a man named Michael Lundberg who lives in a lucrative home in with his lovely wife Sarah and their two daughters. Michael is like the recipe of success and as opposed to his rebellious brother Jannik, the pride of the family, but his life takes a new course when he is sent on a mission to Afghanistan. Briefly after his departure, Sarah receives a call and is told that her husband is missing in action. Alone with her two children Sarah seeks comfort in Jannik who is more than willing to take on Michael's role. Early on Susanne Bier divides the film into two parallel stories which converges into a dynamic confrontation. The substance in her incarnated character drama is the sporadic relationship between Michael and Jannik who are of the same blood, but of different caliber. One is the apple of the family's eye and gets all the love while the other is the black sheep who has been reminded so often about his shortcomings that he no longer sees any reason in trying to meet the expectations of his family. Both of these characters personalities alters significantly during the course of the film, but the gravity in this in-depth study of character lies in Michael's transformation from happy family man to demoralized war victim.Family relations is a characteristic theme in the films of Susanne Bier and the frequent close-ups which recurs in several of her films is also present here. In "Brødre", Susanne Bier examines family situations with acute observations which illuminates interpersonal truths. Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen "The Inheritance" (2003), Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas "The Idiots" (1998) and Danish actress Connie Nielsen "Gladiator" (2000) are the central characters in this compassionate drama triangle and their commendable acting performances are one of the main reasons for this films individuality. It lives on it's own terms, many questions are left for the viewers to answer and the natural progression of the characters is given a higher priority than satisfying conclusions. Susanne Bier creates archetypal human figures, tells genuine stories and invites the viewers into her human insight with her distinct and engaging directing.

One of my top 5 favorite movies is Suzanne Bier's "After the Wedding." This movie is as close to perfection as a film can be. So I was anxious to see another one of her productions and had to actually purchase a copy of Brothers in order to view it. With such rave reviews, I thought it would be worth it (fortunately paid only $7 on amazon).Unfortunately this movie a disappointment. The plot line holds so much potential, but for some reason it just doesn't work. Connie Nielsen, whom I loved in Gladiator, doesn't give us much of a performance here, and her hair is looks unwashed in a lot of scenes, I assume that's due to the highlights she had at the time.The actor who portrays Michael did a superb job. He is put in a terrible position while in captivity and we feel his anguish as the film progresses after that incident.The brother who becomes a potential love interest is so unappealing as to make her interest in him hard to understand. He's unattractive and smokes incessantly, and I hate to be shallow but honestly, how could anyone be attracted to someone who smelled like smoke all the time?! I did like the final scene and was satisfied with the ending. But everything else was so-so. Perhaps my expectations were too high.The various crying scenes were not well-done at all, and in a movie which involves so much gut-wrenching emotion, it was vital the actors get those scenes right. But they failed miserably.Rent it if you want to see it, but don't buy it. I give the story an 8, but the acting a 3.

This film features brutal moments, thus not escapist fare nor fodder for my wife as an example. I think she also would have had trouble with the shaky handicam footage. Still despite the fact that this had my stomach twisted up in knots, this film was a compelling watch, and deeply cathartic in some ways.One could see it as emotional response to the war(s) of the day, taking the global and shooting it like an RPG into the local. The film reaches a point-of-no-return, and then soldiers on past that. The audience, like the lead portrayed by Ulrich Thomsen, however may have some trouble after that point. Some shrapnel sticks in the soul...If one reduces war "to kill or be killed", well perhaps that is too cut and dried. Certainly too cut. And in such a reduction, much is lost. The thought of a soldier being ordered to kill, it can never be an easy one. And in this film, that order is charged with deeply unsettling overtones.Kudos to Susanna Bier, interesting to see a woman director who captures the male psyche so well in my estimation. The two male leads are well fleshed out, levels of sibling love and yet sibling dislike are strikingly meshed together. In briefly reading up on some of her films, it seems the notion of a taboo romance is something she is drawn to like a moth unto flame.As others point out, the brothers in this film mirror each other in ways, reflections of atonement. Never an easy action to capture on film, sure there can be physical gestures...but the power of atonement takes place on a very different sphere, if at all.This film is almost like the 7 Up series of documentaries for me, in that when the curtain falls, I was curious, *painfully* curious, where things will be after a period of time.I'm less curious about the lighting of the film, seemed like a glowing oval was superimposed on much of the footage. Didn't pay enough attention to see if it only came at certain moments. It felt intentional, but consciously it did not cohere for me.One last comment, I thought the music was sublime ( a little reminiscent of the soundtrack to "Deadwood" but with some sort of nyckleharp and Afghani aromas as well...) As the film itself screams its emotions so strongly at times, the understated sonic themes were a welcome counterbalance.7.5/10 Thurston Hunger

An unexpected gem - I had heard good things about the film but what people told me made me expect a war thriller or something and instead it is this simple yet powerful story about family, war, violence, brothers, secrets and recovery. The performances are splendid, the script is lean and strong. So many emotional scenes are delivered with no speaking - just emotion and the whole film is well shot. The director knows just when to leave a scene and go to another. The scenes of war and a prisoner's camp are so real, so raw - they are at times hard to watch. A real gem - a powerful drama. The relationship between the the brothers is so well set-up - you know who they are immediately and yet they are not stock clichés. They are both multi-dimensional. Human. Something you don't see in 2005 Hollywood movies that much.