secondtake
Brothers (2004)A remarkable movie in several ways. The first is just that it's well made, with two main layers of story line that are compelling, and some surprising and mostly believable turns. The second is that we (in the U.S.) have a look at the war in Afghanistan from non-American eyes. The echoes are inevitable, and so are the differences, in attitude by the soldiers and in public reaction. The lead actor Ulrich Thomsen is compelling and versatile, and in some ways makes the movie. His range (which you have to see for yourself or you'll be tipped off) is terrific. His wife, played by better known Connie Nielsen (in her first Danish movie, even though she is Danish herself, and knows seven languages) is perfect, too, though she plays someone who is admittedly "boring" and so has less range. Finally, the lead man's brother, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, is charming and a wild card, making the trio appropriately imbalanced. I say all this because it's an acting movie, and a movie about relationships and therefore about plot. It's not a war movie, but more about the effects of war. It's recommended for people who have absorbed American movies like The Hurt Locker. But more than that, it's just a well made, emotional, human interest film. There are a couple flaws (including the key part about the helicopter crash, which just doesn't hold up to common sense), but they are small in the larger, gritty realism of the whole.
tjsprik
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.
M-and-A
And the consequences of that scene make the end so sad: I do not think that the person played by Connie Nielsen, who demands that 'If you don't tell me, you'll never see me again,' will be able to understand the situation depicted in that ugly scene in Afghanistan. Nor should the man who has created himself the defence 'Do you realise what I did to be with you?' be completely understood. But he will need years to overcome the self-defence, if he ever will. (Perhaps the warning example of his unpleasant hard-line dad will prevent him from becoming as despicable as his father.) A thought-provoking film by the writers Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen and director Bier.
hupfons5
Intense & at times disturbing portrayal of 2 brothers and their troubled personal & family lives.The changes that these 2 brothers undergo show how circumstances can drastically change people's lives in unforeseeable ways.(SPOILER) One of the only films to show so graphically how the traumas of war(in this case a grizzly incident that happens to one of the brothers as a prisoner of war) can transform someone into a deeply disturbed maniac.Good story. Excellent acting by Ulrich Thomsen, Nicolaj Lie Hass, and Connie Nielsen.
AD
