Brothers (BD)

Apart from the recent financial crisis, since 2001 the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been at the forefront of every national debate in the U.S. Starting with the national security issue, a mounting trade deficit, and an overwhelming amount of money and resources invested in the two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan), these conflicts have touched upon the lives of millions of Americans, directly or indirectly. While there are movies such as the HBO’s miniseries “Generation Kill” and the recent Academy Award winner for best picture, “The Hurt Locker,” that have specifically dealt with the battlefield action, there is a serious dearth of movies that address specific concerns arising from post-traumatic stress disorder, popularly known as PTSD, that is notably seen in soldiers returning from wars. Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers” (2009) is a story that highlights the problematic and threatening aspects of PTSD.


Based on the Danish movie of the same name, “Brothers” tells a tale of Major Sam (Tobey Maguire), who is happily married to Grace (Natalie Portman), with two daughters. He has a younger brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), who has his run-ins with the law and is recently released from the jail on robbery charges. Soon after, Sam is called upon to serve his country for a fourth tour of duty to Afghanistan. On the battlefield, Sam’s helicopter is shot down by the enemy, and he is later captured along with his junior soldier, Pvt. Joe Willis (Patrick Flueger). In captivity, it is assumed that both are subjected to painful torture techniques. The leader of the enemy camp commands Sam to kill Pvt. Willis and promises that he will eventually set him free if he obeys this order. In the meantime, Sam’s family presumes he has died in battle. Tommy steps in to fill the gap created by Sam’s absence and in the process becomes attached to Grace and her two daughters. Meanwhile, the enemy camp is attacked by U.S. forces, and Sam is safely rescued. Upon his return home, Sam starts to behave differently, and that causes a tense atmosphere in the house.


Tobey Maguire has come a long way since his career-defining role as a superhero in the “Spider-Man” series. In “Brothers,” he genuinely represents the dislocated mental state of a soldier returning from the Afghanistan war. In the opening sequences, we see him as a caring father and a loving husband. He is emotionally, yet distantly, connected to his brother, Tommy, and both share a few brother-love moments. In this performance, there is a heartfelt sincerity from Tobey Maguire in portraying an emotionally imbalanced soldier. As a result, Maguire shines in a role that probably marks his beginning in serious dramatic roles. Jake Gyllenhaal plays his part effectively, too, as a troublemaker and later as a responsible family member. The other cast members, including Natalie Portman, are average in their limited roles, which, in fact, is the movie’s biggest limitation.


I am left a little confused after seeing “Brothers.” First, I am not sure if the movie is about Sam suffering from PTSD at all. He comes home angry, disillusioned, and dislocated from his surroundings and the people around him. At first, these symptoms are truly a sign of someone suffering from PTSD; however, the way story unfolds, the script does not naturally lead to symptoms associated with PTSD. After he returns from the war, Sam starts to doubt his wife by questioning her faithfulness towards him. The film at this point becomes more about Grace and Tommy proving their innocence rather than about a man suffering from PTSD. At one point in the movie, Sam utters these words to Tommy: “I am drowning Tommy.” In fact, the writer should have emphasized scenarios that could have led its lead character to say these lines. This in turn could have led into a narration that possibly delved deeper into the psyche of a man showing signs of PTSD.


The story is conveyed in a routine, linear fashion, and the narration does not make viewers think hard about Sam’s mental condition. I would have loved to see more depth in the character of Sam and his condition. Most soldiers exhibit recurring signs of troublesome memories in the form of flashbacks and continuous nightmares along with dislocation and a constant fear of people. Having said this, there is only one scene that truly depicts the traumatic state of Sam, and that’s when he holds up a gun and threatens to kill himself before cops arrive at the scene. Indeed, at that point, you actually empathize with Sam and his suffering.


Nevertheless, the movie has obvious flaws in how it demonstrates the issues of PTSD. Sam’s dad, Hank, played by Sam Shepherd, is a Vietnam War veteran. However, while Sam is trying to pull together his feelings on a horrifying act he did while in captivity at the enemy camp, Hank offers no advice to his son. Being a war veteran, Hank should have understood Sam’s condition and proactively advised Sam on at least seeking some form of psychiatric help for his condition. Even so, a soldier-to-soldier interaction between Sam and Hank would have provided more weight to an otherwise weightless flick. In addition, Tommy’s character as a troublemaker is unrealistically hard to fathom, as he is a bit too nice and charming for the role, even though his scenes with Sam are emotionally moving and convincing. Lastly, when Sam says to Tommy, “You both look like teenagers in love,” you might probably shake your head in disagreement. There is no chemistry that exists between Grace and Tommy, and it never strikes any emotional chord during their short love period in Sam’s absence. More so, the film mainly banks on the presence of its charismatic actors to hide prominent inadequacies in the story.


Looking at the promotional posters and trailers, viewers might approach this film as a story with a love triangle and romantic theme at its core. Just as the director was unsure in his approach to demonstrate PTSD through this story, similarly, the marketing folks probably struggled to find the right strategy in launching this movie. I think the biggest challenge was to draw in the female audience to see this movie that at its core has a war theme. Even with its misaligned campaign, “Brothers” opened with a lot of promise but failed to attract viewers in later weeks. However, the film should not be approached as a love story but rather as a tale of one family going through emotional catharses.


With a large number of soldiers returning from wars, PTSD is slowly and dangerously becoming a social calamity on a bigger scale. Jim Sheriden’s “Brothers” tries to present us with a snapshot of a single family torn apart from the harmful effects of a war, though with mixed results. Movies such as “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and “The Deer Hunter” (1979) have dug deeper into the mental state of war veterans that exhibited signs of PTSD and have rightly become true classics in their depiction of war. In the end, with a sloppy script, “Brothers” never threatens to become an intriguing character study or something emotionally substantial.


Video:
Lionsgate presents the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1 using an AVC format averaging at 20 Mbps. The movie does not have any bright colors, and as a result the palette lacks vibrancy, although it is warm throughout. The blacks are solid, with perfect contrast, and skin tones are lifelike. “Brothers” is shot mainly during the winter season in snowcapped mountains in Afghanistan and the U.S. Overall, I think the HD transfer appropriately renders the movie as seen in the theaters, but at the same time it stays true to the director’s intentions.


Audio:
Falling in the same tradition as their earlier catalog releases, Lionsgate has included a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. There are plenty of scenes in which the rear channels kick in to good effect, specifically in the battle scenes in Afghanistan. The bass is heavy and deep and is noticeably evident during the helicopter raid in Afghanistan. Apart from these battle scenes, the movie is mainly dialogue driven. The dialogue is consistently clear throughout the film’s duration. Overall, this track does a fantastic job that results in a satisfying audio experience. Also provided is the option to view the movie with English or Spanish subtitles.


Extras:
Starting the extras, we have a featurette, “Remade in the USA: How Brodre Became Brothers” (1080p, 13 minutes), in which the filmmakers talk about the original Danish movie. The director, Jim Sheriden, provides his thoughts on why he thinks the original movie is a masterpiece. The actors shed light on their characters and how their movie relates to the Danish film. After viewing this feature, I got the sense that this movie is an exact remake of the Danish film, scene-for-scene and word-for-word.


Following this featurette, we get another featurette, “Jim Sheriden: Film and Family” (1080p, 15 minutes), that specifically highlights Jim Sheriden’s bonding with the concept of a family and using it as a metaphor in his films. He certainly uses this aspect in “Brothers.” Also, the crew members present their thoughts on Jim Sheriden’s proactive involvement in making actors understand their roles and lines.


Ending the extras, we have the usual commentary track by Jim Sheriden, and an original theatrical trailer (1080p).


Parting Thoughts:
Anger, dislocation, nightmares, anxiety, and short-attention spans are all valid symptoms of PTSD. However, the structure of “Brothers” superficially touches on any of them. Instead, the story turns out to be more about unfaithfulness than anything else, in which the brother and wife are trying to prove their innocence, thereby making it overly melodramatic at times. As Jim Sheriden says in an interview included on the disc: “For visual experience, what matters is how well we show the souls of the characters in the movie.” Unfortunately, with an underwhelming script, “Brothers” is a soulless study on PTSD in which you rarely sympathize with the characters. On a positive note, “Brothers” showcases one of Tobey Maguire’s best performances, and this is the main reason to see this movie.