Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content.
Directed by Jim Sheridan (Get Rich or Die Tryin', In America and The Boxer)
Starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman
To say this film is powerful would be a huge understatement.
Brothers tells the story of two siblings, thirty-something Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters. Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. When Sam’s Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in the mountains he is presumed dead and the Cahill family suddenly faces a shocking void. Tommy tries to fill in for his brother by assuming newfound responsibility for himself, Grace, and the children. In the grief and strangeness of their new lives, Grace and Tommy are naturally drawn together. Their longstanding frostiness dissolves, but both are frightened and ashamed of the mutual attraction that has replaced it.
But Sam is not dead; he and a fellow soldier have been captured by Taliban fighters. In Afghanistan’s harsh, remote Pamir Mountains, Sam is subjected to traumas that threaten to rob him of his very humanity. At the same time that Sam’s sense of self is being destroyed overseas, Tommy’s self-image is strengthening at home.
When Sam unexpectedly returns home, a nervous mood settles over the family. Sam, uncharacteristically withdrawn and volatile, grows suspicious of his brother and his wife. Their familiar roles now nearly reversed, Sam and Tommy end up facing the ultimate physical and mental challenge when they confront each other.
If Brothers was a book you would say things like, “I couldn’t put it down.” But since it’s a film I’ll say, “I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.” From beginning to end, it is compelling in every sense of the word.
The cast is just amazing. I expected big things from Maguire and Gyllenhaal, who did not disappoint at all. In fact Toby Maguire is “scary good” and Natalie Portman surprised me with an amazing performance of her own.
Director Jim Sheridan keeps the story focused and the pace moving. He also does a brilliant job of contrasting the calm and warm (in spite of the winter backdrop) scenes in America with the brutal and harsh scenes in Afghanistan.
The last line of the film is Sam saying, “I don’t know who said, ‘Only the Dead have seen the end of war.’ I have seen the end of war, the question is can I live again?” I found myself hoping that Sam would be ok and that he and Grace would live happily ever after. Then the credits rolled and it snapped me back to reality. That’s a good movie…in fact it is Theater Worthy.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Brothers has some rough language and the scenes that take place in Afghanistan are pretty intense, it’s a definite no for younger kids.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
