Filmikaze!

By: Jim Sheridan (director), David Benioff (screenplay), Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen (motion picture “Brødre”)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Clifton Collins Jr., Bailee Madison, Sam Shepard, Mare Winningham

A young man comforts his older brother’s wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.

With a cast full of actors I absolutely adore, it’s surprising that it took me so long to see Brothers. Having not heard much about the film, I went in with fairly low expectations but found myself thoroughly engaged and well pleased by not just the performances, but the whole production. This isn’t the most memorable film any of these actors have been in, but it’s a solid piece of filmmaking nonetheless.

There are a lot of compelling themes at play in Brothers, and loyalty is chief among them: loyalty to family, friends, country, yourself. It’s a very human and humanizing story, with Tobey Maguire packing hefty emotional punches throughout. It’s really no wonder at all that he was nominated for a Golden Globe for this. Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman aren’t stretching much here, but they’re still good in the way they always are, and the chemistry between all three is very present and well used. The real standout, though, is Bailee Madison as Maguire and Portman’s daughter, caught helplessly in the midst of so much grown up turmoil. I was truly astonished at how talented this little girl is, and even if the other aspects of the film failed to impress, it would be worth watching just for her.