Brothers (2009)
Director - Jim Sheridan
Starring - Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman & Tobey Maguire
4.5 stars
I knew it was going to be good, but just how good I wasn't sure. 'Brothers' is a relatively unknown film that hasn't received a heap of exposure but almost every review I have read has given it quite a positive remark.
The movie is about Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), his brother Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), and Sam's wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and daughters Isabelle and Maggie (Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare). Tommy has just come out of prison and although Grace hasn't been a fan of her brother in-law, Sam is keen to bring him back into their lives. As fate would have it, Sam has been flown out to Afghanistan as part of the army leaving his family back home. During his time there, his chopper get's mowed down and there are no survivors reported from the crash. Grace takes the news hard and Tommy takes it upon himself to support her and the children. Before too long, a strong bond is formed between both Tommy and Grace, and Isabelle and Maggie with their uncle. Although being reported dead, Sam actually survived the crash and after months of horrid torture, gets rescued and returned home. Unfortunately, the torment he endured has changed him completely and his psychological insecurities appear to rock everyone's world.
Brothers is a brilliantly directed remake of a 2004 Danish film by the same title. It's a film that dives into so many touchy issues and deals with them in ways that pays them absoloute justice. At its essence, it is a war film that concentrates heavily on post traumatic stress after coming home. What Sam has to deal with is truly incredible, and any sane man would be changed for the experience. What Brothers does so well as it also focuses on how such an experience can affect loved ones of those directly involved. The way it works through these concerns is so clever and meticulous and it allows each character's extraordinary behaviour to be fully justified and understand.
The cast was mind blowing. Portman played the confused, grieving wife well and Maguire's performance of the war-tortured husband and father was applaudable and believable. But unsurprisingly so, it was Gyllenhaal for me that stole this show. They say that a picture tells 1000 words and Jake Gyllenhaal has this amazing ability to explain any significant mood change in a single look. This was his best performance since Brokeback Mountain and his initially troubled character who transforms into the unsuspecting family man is the glue that holds together this brilliant ensemble.
11 year old Bailee Madison is a revelation. Never before have I been so encapsulated with a child actor. Her facial expressions were incredibly moving as you genuinely felt every emotion that her character, Isabelle, was feeling. Isabelle was a crucial character who always seemed to reflect the overall mood of the narrative. Had this have been a sub-par performance from Madison, the film would have suffered incredibly overall. A truly professional performance from this pint sized star.
Don't get me wrong, this is a very heavy movie. It maintains a very intense feel almost throughout its entirety which is more than understandable when you take into account what it's really dealing with. It is stacked with emotionally gripping conflict scenes that you simply can't take your eyes off. You are so often unsure what is going to happen next and due to the rapid, but warranted character development from all of them, so many possibilities are available.
It is a gripping movie and quite a full experience. You'll be sure to take a few deep breaths upon it's completion. I absolutely loved it and thought it so accurately captured such a realistic, traumatic series of events. It is an emotional journey that encapsulates everything about making a drama. Fuelled by an A+ effort from it's incredible cast, a beautifully thoughtful directing job and it's ability to appeal so closely to your heart, Brothers is a genuine must see that will leave breath taken.
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