BROTHERS

BROTHERS (Lionsgate)
Directed by Jim Sheridan

When it comes to war, the book is wide open on how to interpret it all and most of the time, we get it wrong. The reason why is simple; which is very few of us are educated to know exactly what it takes to put your life on the line for your country and the pressure it can ultimately bring for you and your family. And for that, we all should honor those that serve, for without them we wouldn’t have our freedom as we know it. But, this so-called ‘post-war life’ is not talked about enough in my mind, as it almost always changes the dynamics of a 'military' family, both good and bad. Too often we get caught up with the politics of war when we should really be focusing on what’s going on between the trenches. That’s where it's decided in an instant and why any story surrounding a P.O.W. is one to pay attention to, as they tend to be some of our most forgotten soldiers. Keeping a secret may be a relatively shallow thing for most of us, but for a soldier, it’s much more. And it’s with that spirit a film like BROTHERS comes along, proving that it’s not always a given things will go back to normal after a loved one returns from war.

Based on the 2004 film BRODRE by Susan Bier, and inspired by the epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey; the story here follows two brothers, Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), and their fight to stay close. Sam would soon be off on his fourth tour in Afghanistan while Tommy was attempting get his life back in order after being released from prison for armed robbery. Sam had a wife, Grace, (Natalie Portman) and two daughters, Isabelle and Maggie (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare), while Tommy had nothing but the shirt off his back. Hoping to make amends for his tarnished past, Tommy enlists the help of his friends to refurbish Grace and Sam’s kitchen, quickly improving his status with his sister-in-law. But, not too soon into the repairs, came news that Sam’s helicopter went down somewhere in the mountains and he was presumed dead. However, as we find out later, Sam and one of his own men, Private Joe Willis (Patrick Flueger) had instead been captured and taken to a local village for.

Brutally tortured and battered, they are forced to make videotaped confessions of their mission, although Joe is the only one that cracks, placing Sam into an extremely difficult predicament. Forced to either tell the truth of the mission or kill his friend Willis, Sam regrettably chose the latter, vaulting himself into a place he thought he would never be. Meanwhile back home, Tommy and Grace start to grow closer, naturally confiding in one another after losing Sam and for a brief moment began to move past the tragedy at hand. It was then a call came in that Sam was found and was alive. Confused and happy, they awaited for Sam’s return, but not too long after his arrival, they noticed this was not the same Sam that left. Often drifting away into lonely moments of clarity, Sam was lost and clearly traumatized by the events that took place in Afghanistan. Not willing to tell his family what had happened, he turned his shame into anger, accusing Grace and Tommy of having an affair while he was gone. It was then this story took a turn for the worse, resulting in one intense and all too honest conclusion that will have you thinking long after the credits roll.

For those that were skeptical of a duo with Maguire and Gyllenhaal, you weren’t alone. I was right there, unsure of which Gyllenhaal I would get and if Maguire could finally step away from his Spider-Man web for a more serious role. Well, both proved me wrong with two of the best performances I have seen in quite some time. I’m not sure if they garner a nomination, but I wouldn’t be surprised either way as they each commanded their screen time together and seperate. For Maguire, this is huge step out and I think he did well with his role as Sam, by far the most dynamic of the bunch. And Gyllenhaal just moved in and out of scenes swiftly with no issue, quietly turning in quite the performance in a fairly reserved role. And you believed the story at which they worked around too, which was obviously key to the success. But, by no means was it the only key, as Natalie Portman was also able to take care of business each time she was asked to, showing her range as one of the most endearing young actresses in Hollywood. However, maybe no performance could compare to the one turned in by the 10-year-old actress Bailee Madison, who played Isabelle, Sam and Grace's daughter. Each and every time this girl was on screen, she drew you into her world of a girl who just wanted her daddy back from war. The pure emotion that surrounded her character was uncanny and utterly impressive, as she was as real as it came.

Anytime you go from the struggles of war to the struggles at home, all in the same film, the potential for some truly intense drama is likely. It’s because of this, a story like the one in BROTHERS works, for it covers so many true-to-life subjects that many of us don’t want to accept, no matter where they are born. Here, it lies with the war in Afghanistan, where a decorated soldier is hit with the hardest decision he has ever had to make, a choice, that I doubt many could be able to make given the circumstances at which he had to make it. That’s the premise to this story, but it goes deeper than that, as the more you layers you peel back, the more you start to see of a problem that persists with soldiers coming home, which is post-traumatic stress disorder and how that can change things drastically. This is the heart of the story, not some wicked love triangle, turned upside down as the erroneous trailer suggests. Frankly, I’m not sure what the producers wanted with that trailer as it does anything but promote the movie for what it truly is, which is a valiant piece of moviemaking both inside and out. And most of the credit can go to director Jim Sheridan, who made sure to bring in all the raw emotion that surrounds war, yet still allowing the reality to sink in that this mental illness can exist in our soldiers that come home, an underlying message if you will, within a story that didn’t necessarily demand it.

BROTHERS, like many of its predecessors, will go just as it came, quietly. That’s a shame, because no matter what the subject might truly be, if the Middle East is part of the story, it will be swept under the rug without much thought. Maybe this film will be different, but that’s the reality that has set into this post 9/11 country we now live in and why a great story and film like this can go unnoticed more often than not.

B+