Brødre (2004)

Director:

Susanne Bier

Writers:

Susanne Bier (story)
Anders Thomas Jensen (story)

Release Date:

27 August 2004 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Two brothers must negotiate changing roles and shifting family dynamics when one is sent to war in Afghanistan.

Plot Keywords:

Afghanistan | Prisoner | Criminal | Brother Brother Relationship | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

13 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Connie Nielsen	...	Sarah
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Michael
Nikolaj Lie Kaas	...	Jannik
Sarah Juel Werner	...	Natalia
Rebecca Løgstrup	...	Camilla (as Rebecca Løgstrup Soltau)
Bent Mejding	...	Henning
Solbjørg Højfeldt	...	Else
Niels Olsen	...	Allentoft
Paw Henriksen	...	Niels Peter
Lars Hjortshøj	...	Preben 2
Lars Ranthe	...	Preben 1
André Babikian	...	Nadeem
Lene Maria Christensen	...	J. Solvej
Laura Bro	...	Ditte
Henrik Koefoed	...	Bartender

Also Known As:

Bröder (Sweden)
Brothers (International: English title)
Bracia (Poland) [pl]
Brothers - Zwischen Brüdern (Germany) (DVD title) [de]
Hermanos (Argentina) [es]
Nu râvni la sotia fratelui (Romania) [ro]
Ouk epithymiseis ti gynaika tou plision sou (Greece) [el]
Verdades ocultas (Colombia) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

Denmark | UK | Sweden | Norway

Language:

Danish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Belgium:KT | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | France:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Two Brothers Ltd.

Trivia:

Along with "Kongekabale", this was the most successful and best reviewed Danish film of the year in its native country. However, neither of these two films was submitted to the Oscars as the Foreign Film from Denmark. A jury decided to sent a documentary film, "De fem benspænd", which had only been attended by 12,532 people in Danish theaters. This story made headlines, and Danish film producers officially stated that they would force the jury to pick "Brødre" or "Kongekabale" in stead. The jury would not reconsider, and "De fem benspænd" was sent to the Oscars. It was not among the eventual nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. "Brødre" later won several awards across the world, including at the Sundance Film Festival, and opened to stellar reviews in the US. The jury later admitted that they possibly chose the wrong film to send to the Oscars that year.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Michael is saying goodbye to the girls, the time on the clock jumps backwards between shots.

Quotes:

Michael: I will always love you. That is the only truth that remains. Life is neither right nor wrong, good or bad. But I love you. That's all I know.

Movie Connections:

References Beauty and the Beast (1991)

War is hell!

I've been there. I've had the training. I know what you are supposed to do. But sometimes life happens when you are looking the other way. Two brothers - one a criminal and the other a soldier; one a respected member of society, and the other the shame of his family; one just out of prison, and the other off to Afghanistan.

Writer/director Susanne Bier presents a compelling drama that examines how people react to stress, and how people can suddenly change when circumstances call for it. It was beautifully shot, it has a compelling score, and it had one of the most beautiful actresses of our time in Connie Nielsen.

Nielsen was incredible as the wife of the soldier (Ulrich Thomsen), trying to keep things together when he was reported dead. She had to show even greater strength when he returned damaged by the war. In the middle was the younger brother (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) who stepped in to help with Michael's two daughters.

The story of this family and how they dealt with tragedy was compelling. Anyone who has a family member come back from war can relate.

It is not to be missed.