Year of release: 2009
Director: Jim Sheridan
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham, Bailee Madison, Taylor Geare, Carey Mulligan, Patrick Flueger, Clifton Collins Jr., Ethan Suplee
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Synopsis:Jim Sheridan is a filmmaker whose career started in 1989 with the Academy Award winning film "My Left Foot" and that also includes other award worthy films as "In the Name of the Father" and "In America". His films usually deal with his Irish legacy and cultural heritage and how that defines people, but in his latest offering, "Brothers", the director ventures into remake territory. The film is an adaptation of Susanne Bier's film "Brodre". "Brothers" follows the story of Sam Cahill and Tommy Cahill both young men, whose lives have decidedly taken different turns. Sam, the older, is an army captain, married to his beautiful high school sweetheart, with two lovely daughters. Tommy the youngest one, has just been released of jail and seems to be a trouble magnet. When Sam gets sent back to Afghanistan, Tommy decides to help around Sam's house and becomes a much needed diversion for all, particularly when Sam is reported dead. Tommy and Grace grow closer, something that is aborted when Sam is returned back, upon being rescued from the captivity he had been enclosed. This is a film that lives from the dynamics of a family that has a history of conflict. The father who has a drinking problem and who has damaged his family life, particularly that of his sons. And then Sam, who due to the horrors of war can't come to term with his actions. The film doesn't anchor it's dynamics on the sibling rivalry, but more on the disintegration of a person's sanity due to the weight of guilt. The actors do a great job with special focus on Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and the young Bailee Madison. A film worth seeing.
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