Brothers (2009 film)
The 2009 film "Brothers" plunges audiences into the harrowing aftermath of war, exploring the profound impact of trauma on a family. It's a gripping psychological thriller that reimagines a Danish original, drawing inspiration from ancient epics like Homer's Odyssey to tell a timeless story of homecoming and fractured identities. This intense drama asks how much a person—and a family—can endure before breaking. "Brothers" is a remake of a acclaimed Danish film, uniquely blending a modern war story with themes from Homer's Odyssey. The film powerfully portrays the devastating psychological toll of war, specifically Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, on both soldiers and their families. Tobey Maguire's performance as the traumatized soldier garnered widespread critical praise, showcasing a dramatic depth previously unseen from the actor.
AI Summary
The 2009 film "Brothers" plunges audiences into the harrowing aftermath of war, exploring the profound impact of trauma on a family. It's a gripping psychological thriller that reimagines a Danish original, drawing inspiration from ancient epics like Homer's Odyssey to tell a timeless story of homecoming and fractured identities. This intense drama asks how much a person—and a family—can endure before breaking.
- "Brothers" is a remake of a acclaimed Danish film, uniquely blending a modern war story with themes from Homer's Odyssey.
- The film powerfully portrays the devastating psychological toll of war, specifically Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, on both soldiers and their families.
- Tobey Maguire's performance as the traumatized soldier garnered widespread critical praise, showcasing a dramatic depth previously unseen from the actor.
A Modern Odyssey of Trauma
Directed by Jim Sheridan and written by David Benioff, "Brothers" is a compelling psychological thriller. It's a remake of a 2004 Danish film by Susanne Bier, but both versions share a deep, ancient root—the epic poem Odyssey by Homer. Just as Odysseus struggled to return home and reclaim his life, the characters in "Brothers" face immense challenges when a soldier returns from war.
The film stars a powerful trio: Tobey Maguire as Captain Sam Cahill, Jake Gyllenhaal as his younger brother Tommy, and Natalie Portman as Sam's wife, Grace. Their performances drive this intense story, which resonated with critics, especially Maguire's transformation into a war-torn veteran.
A Family on the Brink
Our story begins in 2007, with USMC officer Sam Cahill preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Grace, and their two young daughters, Isabelle and Maggie. Just days before his departure, his younger brother, Tommy, is released from prison on parole for armed robbery—a stark contrast to Sam's disciplined military life.
At a tense family dinner, the brothers' father, Hank, openly disparages Tommy for his criminal past, holding up Sam as the golden child. This scene immediately establishes the complex, often fractured, family dynamics that will later be pushed to their breaking point.
The Unthinkable News
While on tour, Sam's helicopter is shot down. He and Private Joe Willis are the only survivors, but they are captured by the Taliban. Back home, the US government delivers devastating news: Sam and Joe are declared killed in action.
The news shatters the Cahill family. Tommy, overwhelmed with grief and perhaps a touch of regret, lashes out at Grace, questioning why she let Sam go to war. At Sam's memorial service, the tension escalates further as a drunken Hank once again belittles Tommy, who, in turn, accuses his father of pushing Sam into the Marines due to his own Vietnam War service.
A New Dynamic Emerges
In Sam's absence, Tommy steps up, helping Grace with a kitchen remodel—a quiet act of support that begins to mend his relationship with his estranged father. He also finds himself increasingly bonding with Grace and becoming a paternal figure for his nieces, Isabelle and Maggie.
During this time, Tommy even seeks to right past wrongs, apologizing to the bank teller he robbed. A moment of shared vulnerability leads to an unwitting kiss between Grace and Tommy, a spark of attraction they don't pursue, but which hints at the emotional complexities brewing beneath the surface. Unbeknownst to them, Sam's nightmare continues, as he and Joe are brutally tortured, culminating in Sam being forced to commit an unspeakable act to survive.
The Return, and the Unraveling
Months later, Sam is miraculously rescued and returns home. But the man who left is not the same. He suffers from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, struggling desperately to readjust to civilian life. His daughters, once overjoyed, now grow fearful and resentful of their changed father.
Sam's trauma manifests as deep paranoia, leading him to falsely believe Grace and Tommy fell in love while he was away. He confronts Grace, demanding to know what happened between them. Grace admits to the single, brief kiss, but Sam, consumed by his inner demons, finds it impossible to believe that's all there was.
The family tension boils over at Maggie's birthday party. Isabelle, feeling ignored and resentful of her father's absence at her own birthday, loudly plays with a balloon. The noise triggers Sam's raw nerves, and he violently pops it. A terrified and hurt Isabelle, lashing out, falsely accuses Tommy and Grace of having an affair, and in a moment of raw anger, wishes Sam had actually died.
A Violent Breakdown
Later that night, Grace puts her daughters to bed. Isabelle, still reeling, confesses she prefers having her Uncle Tommy around. Grace assures the girls Sam will get better, but her concern for their safety leads her to call Elsie, her mother-in-law. Meanwhile, Tommy heads to the house, as Elsie urges Hank to call the police.
Sam, fueled by Isabelle's accusation and the haunting memory of the horrors he committed to survive, completely loses control. He trashes the kitchen with a fire poker. When Tommy arrives and tries to calm him with an embrace, Sam becomes defensive, pointing a gun at his brother.
As DOD Police arrive, a standoff ensues. Sam fires his pistol into the air, screaming for the police to kill him. Tommy bravely tries to talk him down. In a moment of absolute despair, Sam points the gun to his own head, tearfully confessing to Tommy that he's "drowning" before finally surrendering.
Sam is arrested and admitted to a Veterans' Affairs hospital. Grace eventually reads a letter Sam had written for her, to be delivered in the event of his death. She visits him, giving him an ultimatum: tell her the truth, or lose his family forever. Finally, Sam confesses the horrifying truth of killing Joe. They embrace, devastated but with a fragile hope for healing, as Sam wonders if he can ever truly live a normal life again.
Star-Studded Performances
The powerful cast truly brought this emotionally charged story to life. Tobey Maguire as Captain Samuel 'Sam' Cahill delivered a critically acclaimed performance, embodying the tortured soldier. Jake Gyllenhaal played his conflicted younger brother, Thomas 'Tommy' Cahill, and Natalie Portman portrayed Sam's struggling wife, Grace Cahill. Other notable performances included Sam Shepard as their stern father, Hank, and Bailee Madison as the perceptive older daughter, Isabelle.
Critical Reception and Accolades
"Brothers" was theatrically released on December 4, 2009, opening at #3 at the box office and eventually grossing over $43 million worldwide against a $26 million budget. Critical reviews were mixed, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 63% approval rating and Metacritic scoring it 58 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
However, Tobey Maguire's dramatic turn received widespread acclaim. Esteemed film critic Roger Ebert declared it "Tobey Maguire's film to dominate, and I've never seen these dark depths in him before." Critics also praised the on-screen chemistry between Maguire and Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman's nuanced performance.
While some critics, like Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, found the film "lumbering and heavy-handed," many recognized its emotional impact and the strength of its lead actors. David Edelstein of New York magazine championed the cast, stating that Sheridan's actors "work with their intellects fully engaged—and they engage us on levels we barely knew we had."
The film garnered several nominations, including two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for Tobey Maguire and Best Original Song for U2's powerful track "Winter." Bailee Madison also received a nomination for Best Young Actor/Actress at the 15th Critics' Choice Awards, acknowledging her remarkable performance as Isabelle.
Beyond the Screen
"Brothers" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 23, 2010, allowing audiences to revisit this intense family drama. Proving the enduring power of its story, the original 2004 Danish film even inspired an opera adaptation titled "Brothers – The Opera." Composed by Icelandic talent Daníel Bjarnason, it premiered in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2017, transforming the film's poignant narrative into a new artistic form.
Article
Brothers (2009 film)
Brothers is a 2009 American psychological thriller film directed by Jim Sheridan and written by David Benioff. The film is a remake of the 2004 Danish film by Susanne Bier, and both films take inspiration from the epic poem Odyssey by Homer. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard, Clifton Collins Jr., and Mare Winningham. The film follows Captain Sam Cahill, a USMC officer who is captured by the Taliban after he is presumably killed in the war in Afghanistan. Upon being rescued and reunited with his brother Tommy and wife Grace, he has severe PTSD as he struggles to reintegrate into society.
Brothers was theatrically released in the United States on December 4, 2009, by Lionsgate, and received mixed reviews from critics, although Maguire's acting was praised. The film grossed $45 million against a $26 million budget. The film was nominated for Best Actor for Maguire and Best Original Song for "Winter", performed by U2, at the 67th Golden Globe Awards.
Plot
Brothers (2009 film)
USMC officer Sam Cahill is about to be sent to war in Afghanistan in 2007. He is married to his high school girlfriend, Grace, with whom he has two young daughters, Isabelle and Maggie. Sam's younger brother, Tommy, is released from prison on parole after being arrested for armed robbery, just a few days before Sam's departure. At a family dinner with Hank and Elsie, the Cahills' parents, Hank insults Tommy for not understanding his brother's duty and for his criminal past.
During Sam's tour, his helicopter is shot down, and he and Private Joe Willis are the sole survivors. They are taken prisoner by the Taliban, but are declared killed in action by the US government. Upon hearing the news of his brother's presumed death, Tommy berates Grace for letting Sam go to Afghanistan. At Sam's memorial service, Hank attempts to drive Elsie and the girls home while drunk, but Tommy intercepts him. Hank once again berates Tommy, and Tommy accuses Hank of influencing Sam to join the Marines because of his own Vietnam War service.
Tommy helps in completing a kitchen remodel for Grace. He attempts to mend his relationship with Hank, and he bonds with Grace, aided by his growing paternal connection with Isabelle and Maggie. Tommy also apologizes to the bank teller who he held at gunpoint during the robbery. Grace and Tommy unwittingly kiss, but do not take their attraction any further. However, Tommy continues to remain close with the family and his nieces grow attached to him. Meanwhile, Sam and Joe are tortured by their captors and Sam is eventually forced to brutally beat Joe to death with a metal pipe.
Several months later, Sam is rescued and returns home, where he struggles to readjust, showing signs of severe post-traumatic stress disorder; his daughters grow fearful and resentful toward him. Sam also lies to Joe's widow about her husband's death. His paranoia also causes him to believe Grace and Tommy fell in love while he went away. When Grace questions Sam about what happened in Afghanistan, Sam does not answer and demands to know what happened between her and Tommy. Grace tells Sam that she and Tommy shared only one kiss while he was gone, but Sam has trouble believing that is all that happened.
During Maggie's birthday party, Tommy shows up with a woman, Tina. While Isabelle plays with a few of Maggie's new toys, Isabelle complains that she never got what she wanted for her birthday, and that Sam was also absent on her birthday. She is also irritated by the reprimand of her parents and the attention shown to Tina, then begins to play with a balloon loudly, causing Sam to become exasperated and annoyed and pop it in rage in front of the family. A hurt Isabelle falsely claims that Tommy and Grace are having an affair and angrily tells Sam that she wishes he had actually died.
Returning home, Grace puts the daughters to bed. Isabelle apologizes to Grace, saying that she prefers having her Uncle Tommy around over their own father. Grace assures both of the girls that Sam will get better soon. Grace then calls Elsie, concerned for their safety. Tommy prepares to go over to their house as Elsie urges Hank to call the police. Sam, believing his daughter's story and angry about killing Joe in order to get back home, loses his temper and angrily wrecks the kitchen with a crowbar. He briefly comforts when Tommy shows up and proceeds to embrace him, in order to calm his brother's furious breakdown. However, Sam becomes defensive and holds Tommy at gunpoint. DOD Police arrive and confront Sam, leading into a standoff. He fires a pistol into the air and demands that the policemen kill him. Tommy quiets the officers and attempts to talk to Sam, but Sam puts the gun to his own head, before tearfully saying to Tommy that he's "drowning" and he surrenders.
Sam is arrested and admitted to a Veterans' Affairs hospital. After his arrest, Grace reads the letter Sam wrote her, to be delivered in the event of his passing. Eventually, Grace visits him, giving him an ultimatum that if he does not tell her the truth, he will lose both her and his family forever. Sam finally confesses that he killed Joe and they embrace. Devastated and traumatized, he wonders if he will ever be able to live a normal life again.
Cast
Brothers (2009 film)
• Tobey Maguire as Capt. Samuel "Sam" Cahill, a USMC officer who is sent to war in Afghanistan • Jake Gyllenhaal as Thomas "Tommy" Cahill, Sam's younger brother • Natalie Portman as Grace Cahill, Sam's wife • Sam Shepard as Henry "Hank" Cahill, Sam & Tommy's father • Mare Winningham as Elsie Cahill, Sam & Tommy's stepmother • Bailee Madison as Isabelle Cahill, Sam & Grace's older daughter and Tommy's niece • Taylor Geare as Margaret "Maggie" Cahill, Sam & Grace's younger daughter and Tommy's niece • Patrick Flueger as Pvt. Joseph "Joe" Willis • Clifton Collins Jr. as Maj. Cavazos • Carey Mulligan as Cassie Willis, Joe's wife • Omid Abtahi as Yusuf • Ethan Suplee as Sweeney • Navid Negahban as Murad • Yousef Azami as Taliban Leader • Jenny Wade as Tina • César Évora as Gabriel • Enayat Delawary as Ahmed • Arron Shiver as A. J. • Ray Prewitt as Owen
Soundtrack
Brothers (2009 film)
Brothers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the film, which contains the score composed by Thomas Newman. It was released by Relativity Music Group on November 30, 2009. The song "Winter", performed by the Irish rock band U2, was released on February 27, 2009, and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 67th Golden Globe Awards.
Reception
Box office
Brothers grossed $28.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $14.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $43.5 million. It was produced on a budget of $26 million.
In the United States, Brothers opened on December 4, 2009, alongside Everybody's Fine and Armored. It grossed $3.6 million on its first day, in 2,088 theaters, with an average of $1,711 per theater. It grossed $9.5 million in its opening weekend, with an average of $4,563 per theater, ranking in third place behind The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The film closed on January 21, 2010, with $28.5 million domestically.
Critical response
Brothers received mixed reviews from film critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of 156 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "It plays more like a traditional melodrama than the Susanne Bier film that inspired it, but Jim Sheridan's Brothers benefits from rock-solid performances by its three leads." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
Tobey Maguire received critical acclaim for his dramatic performance; Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars and wrote that Brothers is "Tobey Maguire's film to dominate, and I've never seen these dark depths in him before." Claudia Puig of USA Today observed the resemblance between Maguire and Gyllenhaal, and praised their onscreen chemistry. Regarding Portman's performance, Puig opined that it was "subdued and reactive". Writing for New York magazine, David Edelstein praised the three main actors: "Sheridan's actors work with their intellects fully engaged—and they engage us on levels we barely knew we had." He also complimented the cinematography and Sheridan's ability to pull the reader into the plot. Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman gave the film a rating of C+, writing, "Brothers isn't badly acted, but as directed by the increasingly impersonal Jim Sheridan, it’s lumbering and heavy-handed, a film that piles on overwrought dramatic twists until it begins to creak under the weight of its presumed significance."
Accolades
<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Ceremony</th><th>Category</th><th>Recipients</th><th>Result</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2009</td><td>15th Critics' Choice Awards</td><td>Best Young Actor / Actress</td><td>Bailee Madison</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>36th Saturn Awards</td><td>Best Action or Adventure Film</td><td>Brothers</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Actor</td><td>Tobey Maguire</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress</td><td>Natalie Portman</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Performance by a Younger Actor</td><td>Bailee Madison</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>67th Golden Globe Awards</td><td>Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama</td><td>Tobey Maguire</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Original Song</td><td>"Winter" by U2</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>2010 Teen Choice Awards</td><td>Choice Movie Actor – Drama</td><td>Tobey Maguire</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Jake Gyllenhaal</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2009</td><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Natalie Portman</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Denver Film Critics Society Awards 2009</td><td>Best Original Song</td><td>"Winter" By U2</td><td>Nominated</td></tr></tbody></table>
Home media
Brothers (2009 film)
Brothers was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 23, 2010.
Opera adaptation
Brothers (2009 film)
Brothers – The Opera is an opera based on the original 2004 Danish version of the film by Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason; it was premiered at the Musikhuset Aarhus on 16 August 2017. It was commissioned by Den Jyske Opera. Kerstin Perski wrote the libretto and the director was Kasper Holten. To celebrate Aarhus as the European Capital of Culture 2017, three stage works – a musical, dance, and an opera all based on films by Susanne Bier – were commissioned and performed in Musikhuset.