This is not based on true events. However, this could be happening. This could be reality. The movie “Brothers” opened this weekend with a jolting awakening to a horror-struck audience. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire in this remake from the 2004 Danish film “Br?dre” directed by Susanne Bier. “Brothers” is a powerful and emotionally jarring war drama that will leave audience members stunned and tearful.
Captain Sam Cahill (Maguire, “Spider Man 3”) is a Marine returning to Afghanistan, once again leaving behind his wife Grace (Portman, “The Other Boleyn Girl”) and two daughters. His brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal, “Rendition”) gets out of jail just in time for Sam’s goodbye dinner. At this goodbye dinner, the boys’ father lets it be known that Tommy is a failure and not worth being proud of, while Sam is a better person and son because he is serving his country, which he chooses to tell Tommy at every possible moment. Sam then leaves his family and home to fight and is thought to be dead after his helicopter crashes. News arrives at home of Sam’s death, leaving Grace with her two girls and a brother-in-law she never liked.
The film takes us back and forth from what is left of the Cahill family in the U.S. to Afghanistan where Sam and his comrade are prisoners of the Taliban. Sam eventually makes it home, physically and emotionally scarred, and he turns into a different man, one with secrets. He is paranoid and angry, turning his happy family into a broken one when he loses control.
Every character in “Brothers” was perfectly cast and performed wonderfully, giving audience members unbelievably real people to relate to. Tommy takes it upon himself to help Grace through her grief. He steps into his new role as caretaker seamlessly, building a relationship with Grace and her children, and he visibly grows into a better person because of it.
Grace is easy to get attached to. Even though she is grieving, she pushes forward for her daughters. Portman played the part beautifully as she was being torn apart between the love for who her husband once was and the disturbed and sick husband that came back from Afghanistan.
Maguire’s performance was astonishingly captivating; the reality of the situations and pity for this man who had to endure so much was heartbreaking.
The two daughters (newcomer Taylor Geare and Bailee Madison, “Bridge to Terabithia”) were excellent, despite their young age. They are both scared of the father who came back from Afghanistan and don’t like who he has become. Watching those two little girls cower from fright, crying at the funeral or watching the sheer sadness displayed all over their faces is more than enough to produce sobs from the audience.
The plot line was also crafted to perfection. By jumping from one country to another, all with a different set of traumatizing events and heart wrenching scenes, violently shoves audience members into the movie. Had “Brothers” only been from Grace and Tommy’s point of view, the movie would have not been as moving or powerful. Had “Brothers” only been from Sam’s point of view, the movie would have been far too emotionally intense for audience members to handle. Having the switch back and forth between lives and countries really brought the movie together and made it as compelling and touching as possible.
The reality of “Brothers” is undeniable. Fear that anyone could easily be one of these characters and that thousands must be actually living this movie will really make audience members think. What are we doing in Afghanistan? Is it worth it to destroy families, ruin lives and send loved ones where they will most likely be hurt or killed? “Brothers” is a hugely powerful and moving film that will leave Sam’s last line on everyone’s mind: “Can you go on living after you have seen the end of war?”
5 stars out of 5.
