Brothers (2009/I)

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers (WGA):

David Benioff (screenplay)
Susanne Bier (motion picture "Brødre") ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 December 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

There are two sides to every family

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Afghanistan | Girl | Husband Wife Relationship | Tears | Crying

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Tommy Cahill
Natalie Portman	...	Grace Cahill
Tobey Maguire	...	Capt. Sam Cahill
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Major Cavazos
Bailee Madison	...	Isabelle Cahill
Sam Shepard	...	Hank Cahill
Mare Winningham	...	Elsie Cahill
Taylor Geare	...	Maggie Cahill
Patrick Flueger	...	Private Joe Willis
Jenny Wade	...	Tina
Carey Mulligan	...	Cassie Willis
Omid Abtahi	...	Yusuf
Navid Negahban	...	Murad
Ethan Suplee	...	Sweeney
Arron Shiver	...	A.J.
Ray Prewitt	...	Owen
Rebekah Wiggins	...	Marine Wife
Carrie Fleming	...	Marine Wife #2
Sheila Ivy Traister	...	Pilot
Chad Brummett	...	Co-Pilot
Jason E. Hill	...	Lt. Sanderson (as Jason Hill)
Kevin Wiggins	...	Navy Chaplain
Yousuf Azami	...	Taliban Leader
James D. Dever	...	Sgt. Major Dever (as James Dever)
Kevin Adkins	...	Flag Detail Commander
Johnnie Hector	...	Cop #1
Jeremiah Bitsui	...	Cop #2
William Lawrence Allen	...	Cop #3 (as William L. Allen)
Michael-David Aragon	...	Terrorist
Benjamin D. Baldwin	...	Cop #4
Richard Wade	...	Crew Chief
Luce Rains	...	The Nose
Enayat Delawary	...	Ahmed
Rick La Monda	...	Elvis
Paul Ramos	...	Sentry
Shawn Bryan	...	Marine Cadence
Oscar Mejia	...	Uniform In Helicopter
David Bachelor	...	U.S. Navy Chaplain
Zachary Grand	...	Afghanistan Boy
Iris Dunbar	...	Burka Woman
J.D. Marmion	...	Marine Hostage (as Justin Marmion)
Robert Mitchell	...	Marine Rescuer #1
Collin D. Barry	...	Marine Rescuer #2
Janet Sanford	...	Mourner at Church #1
Casey Sanford	...	Mourner at Church #2
Gary Moore	...	Marine Mourner #1
Eric Steinig	...	Marine Mourner #2
Colleen Frye	...	Woman in Church
James Duffy	...	Man in Church
David Manzanares	...	Bartender 'Dave'
Michael Castellano	...	Afghan Fighter
Carol A. Salazar	...	Woman on Bridge
Wendell Sweet	...	Orderly
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bob Jesser	...	Lt. Dan Schneider (uncredited)
Amanda MacDonald	...	Marine Wife (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim Sheridan

Writing credits (WGA)
David Benioff		(screenplay)
Susanne Bier		(motion picture "Brødre") and
Anders Thomas Jensen		(motion picture "Brødre")

Produced by
Matt Battaglia	....	co-producer
Michael De Luca	....	producer
Mark Fischer	....	co-producer
Scott Fischer	....	executive producer
Ryan Kavanaugh	....	executive producer
Ryan Kavanaugh	....	producer
Jeremiah Samuels	....	co-executive producer
Zach Schiff-Abrams	....	executive producer
Sigurjon Sighvatsson	....	producer
Tucker Tooley	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Frederick Elmes

Film Editing by
Jay Cassidy

Casting by
Avy Kaufman

Production Design by
Tony Fanning

Art Direction by
Guy Barnes

Set Decoration by
Wendy Ozols-Barnes

Costume Design by
Durinda Wood

Makeup Department
Enid Arias	....	key hair stylist
Gretchen Bright	....	key makeup artist
Jessie Brown	....	additional makeup artist
Elizabeth Gallegos	....	assistant hair stylist
Sian Grigg	....	personal makeup artist: Tobey Maguire
Vanessa Jaramillo	....	additional makeup artist
Adruitha Lee	....	hair department head: additional photography
Jennifer McDaniel	....	makeup artist
Bunny Parker	....	hair department head
Michelle Vittone	....	makeup department head
Danlee Winegar	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Billy Badalato	....	production supervisor
Ken Halsband	....	executive in charge of production
Christopher Kulikowski	....	post-production supervisor
David Manzanares	....	unit manager
Jeremiah Samuels	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Battaglia	....	second assistant director
Joe Camp III	....	first assistant director
Nye Heron	....	second unit director
Trish 'The Dish' Stanard	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Brett Andrews	....	props
RA Arancio-Parrain	....	set dresser
David D. Baumann	....	assistant property master
Lance Cheatham	....	set dresser
Sage Emmett Connell	....	swing
Skip Crank	....	assistant property master: additional photography
Darren Gibson	....	propmaker
James H. Gill	....	propmaker
Linda R. Gore	....	set dresser
Libbe Green	....	set decoration coordinator
Ronald O. Jaynes	....	construction coordinator
John Paul 'J.P.' Jones	....	property master: additional photography
Ellen Lampl	....	graphic designer
Johnny Long	....	key greens
Dale Lotreck	....	painter
Amy Marsh	....	art department coordinator
Chris Painter	....	greens person
Wm. Michael Rafter	....	set dresser
Douglas S. Reilly	....	graphic designer: props
Dennis Riewerts	....	draper
Leonard Sanchez	....	carpenter
Steve Sawhill	....	leadman
Loren Schoel	....	construction auditor
David Thompson	....	carpenter
Rick Young	....	property master

Sound Department
Phil Barrie	....	sound effects editor
Sarah Bourgeois	....	assistant sound editor
Bil Clement	....	boom operator: second unit
Pud Cusack	....	sound mixer
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer: New York
Alison Fisher	....	supervising dialogue editor
Judah Getz	....	adr mixer
John-Thomas Graves	....	adr mixer
Catherine Harper	....	foley artist
Darrin Mann	....	foley mixer
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Christopher Moriana	....	foley artist
Chris Navarro	....	adr mixer
Mark Purcell	....	sound mix technician
Jerry Ross	....	supervising sound editor
Lenny Sanchez	....	sound mixer: second unit
Leonard Sanchez	....	sound mixer: second unit
Ross Simpson	....	boom operator
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
Greg ten Bosch	....	sound effects editor
Thomas Vicari	....	score mixer
John Weitz	....	sound utility
Greg Zimmerman	....	adr recordist

Special Effects by
Compton Brodhead	....	special effects technician
Dick Hogle	....	pyrotechnician
Daniel Holt	....	special effects foreman
Margaret Johnson	....	special effects foreman
Randy E. Moore	....	special effects coordinator
Mike Prawitz	....	special effects technician
Joel Ray	....	special effects technician
Christina Sporrong	....	special effects technician
Ryland Witten-Smith	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Chris Cervantes	....	visual effects artist
Patrick Clancey	....	digital opticals
Joseph Conti	....	visual effects supervisor
Jonah Loop	....	visual effects supervisor
Zach Miller	....	lead 3d artist: Post Tech
Scott Milne	....	visual effects supervisor
David B. Moulder	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Mark Brooks	....	stunts
Kevin Collins	....	stunts
Kevin Derr	....	stunt double
Edward A. Duran	....	stunt double
Al Goto	....	stunts
Anthony Molinari	....	stunt performer
Mark Rayner	....	stunts
Trina E. Siopy	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Abeyta	....	lighting technician
Casey Alicino	....	dolly grip
Liza Bambenek	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Thomas Bango	....	first assistant camera
Alyssa Cashman	....	camera department intern
Kenneth Coblentz	....	grip
Keith B. Davis	....	key first assistant camera
Allen Eaves	....	lighting technician
Frank Eyers	....	24 frame playback operator
John Gorman	....	electrician
Greg Hewett	....	key grip
Tom Hutchinson	....	second assistant camera
Steve Jones	....	rigging gaffer
David R. Kohn	....	best boy electric
David R. Kohn	....	gaffer: second unit
Michael Lohmann	....	director of photography: second unit
Tommy Lohmann	....	camera operator
Dominic Mainl	....	first assistant camera: second unit
David J. McGraw	....	digital video assist operator: additional photography
Stephen Mullen	....	gaffer
Tanana Rivera	....	camera intern
Lorey Sebastian	....	still photographer
Mark Sheets	....	key rigger
Eric Steinig	....	dolly grip
Mark Steinig	....	best boy grip
Carlos Villareal	....	camera department intern
Ralph Watson	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Nicholas Wede-Massimo	....	camera intern
Cody West	....	grip

Casting Department
Jo Edna Boldin	....	casting: New Mexico
Marty Cherrix	....	extras casting
Lois J. Drabkin	....	casting associate
Jason Fischman	....	casting assistant
Matthew Jacob	....	casting assistant
Marie A. Kohl	....	casting associate
Hannah Macpherson	....	casting assistant
Leeba Zakharov	....	casting associate
Rich Gill	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)
Coryn Kiefer	....	extras casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maria Bentfield	....	key set costumer
Pamela Broussard	....	key costumer
Bren Cook	....	costume ager/dyer
Chesney Henderson	....	set costumer
Liz Lash	....	set costumer
Philip Maldonado	....	key costumer
Amanda Nevarez	....	wardrobe production assistant: Los Angeles
Geoffrey Roiz	....	assistant costume designer: Mr.Maguire
Janet Marie Ross	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Geraud Brisson	....	first assistant editor
Beth Dewey	....	digital intermediate producer
Yvan Lucas	....	colorist: Efilm
Thomas Han Ul Park	....	assistant editor
Robert E. Phillips	....	digital intermediate assistant producer: EFILM
Tom Reiser	....	colorist assist: Efilm

Music Department
Gina Amador	....	music supervisor
Larry Mah	....	digital score recordist

Transportation Department
Lyle Christensen	....	shotmaker driver
Walter McClain	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Steve Aguino	....	office production assistant
T.J. Amato	....	assistant: Kenneth L. Halsband
Alexander Andrews	....	production assistant
Amber Asaro	....	assistant: mr. kavanaugh
Shellia D. Bailey	....	assistant production coordinator
Jen Berkowitz	....	production secretary
Kevin Black	....	set production assistant
Jay Burnley	....	production executive
Daniel Cabeza	....	assistant: Mr. Tooley
Kaylene Carlson	....	production coordinator
Alyssa Cashman	....	photo double: natalie portman
Michael Chochol	....	set production assistant: additional second unit
Paul Conti	....	video playback engineer
Celli Crawford	....	assistant to director
Mike Cunningham	....	armorer
Paul O. Davis	....	aerial supervisor
Enayat Delawary	....	adr voice
Enayat Delawary	....	cultural advisor
Enayat Delawary	....	dialect coach
Enayat Delawary	....	translator
James D. Dever	....	senior military technical advisor
Lindsay Dwyer	....	travel coordinator
Danny Elhaj	....	assistant: Jim Sheridan
Aditya Ezhuthachan	....	creative executive: Palomar Pictures
Fahim Fazli	....	adr voice
Wilma Garscadden-Gahret	....	script supervisor
Karen A. Harris	....	assistant production office coordinator
Daniel Herther	....	executive assistant: mr. kavanaugh
Jim Ivy	....	medic
Christopher Kahn	....	post-production accountant
Fereshta Kazemi	....	voice-over
Brent Lambert	....	stand-in
Brian G. Lax	....	key medic
David Manzanares	....	location manager: pre-production
David Manzanares	....	location scout: pre-production
Kevin McKeon	....	assistant to line producer
Maggie Parto	....	voice over
Hilton Clay Peres	....	location manager
Andrea Redder	....	set production assistant
Jan Rudolph	....	script supervisor
Wolf Schneider	....	unit publicist
Loren Schoel	....	assistant location manager
Gary J. Sims	....	payroll accountant
Eileen Street	....	first assistant accountant
Holli Strickland	....	assistant: Tobey Maguire
Robert S. Wilhelm Jr.	....	set production assistant
Justin T. Williams	....	location scout
Sarah J. Williams	....	production secretary
Allen Wong	....	production accountant
Helena Wyss	....	set medic

Production Companies

• Michael De Luca Productions
• Palomar Pictures
• Relativity Media

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alliance Films (2009) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2010) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Pictures (2010) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Lionsgate (2010) (UK) (theatrical)
• Lionsgate (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (2009) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Bazuca Films (2010) (Chile) (all media)
• Imagem Filmes (2010) (Brazil) (all media)
• Ledafilms (2010) (Mexico) (TV)
• Noble Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (all media)

Special Effects

• Great FX

Other Companies

• 1 Force  military technical advisors
• Behind the Scenes  shipping by
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• ReadySetMedic.com  first aid/medic
• Rockbottom Rentals  cell phone rentals
• Rockbottom Rentals  walkie rentals
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Spacecam Systems  aerial cameras provided by
• Star Waggons  cast trailers
• Star Waggons  hair and make-up trailers
• Star Waggons  star trailers
• Wow & Flutter  ADR recording

Also Known As:

Братья (Russia) [ru]
Brothers (Greece) [el]
Entre Irmãos (Brazil) (working title) [pt]
Hermanos (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some disturbing violent content.

Runtime:

105 min | USA:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Michael De Luca Productions

Trivia:

Carey Mulligan mentioned in an interview at the Sundance Festival that she got the role after sending an audition tape to America; when they shot her scenes, it was at about 3.00am, and it was largely improvised (something she enjoyed). She called it a "trial by fire".

Goofs:

Factual errors: While in Afghanistan, one of the captors speaks in Farsi while the other answers him in Arabic. Farsi isn't spoken in Afghanistan, and people that speak Farsi can't understand people that speak Arabic.

Quotes:

Sam Cahill: Only the dead have seen the end of war...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Funny People (2009)

Soundtrack:

Bad

Guilt and Forgiveness

Two brothers, one returning from prison, one heading as a Marine to Afghanistan.

This film is apparently a remake of a Danish film that had the same story line.

But it didn't have Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal! Maguire reaches into the darkest corners of his soul to flesh out the good brother, the Marine, who returns from Afghanistan with a staggering burden of guilt.

Gyllenhaal is amazing, transforming an angry, unsure ex-con into a believable figure of redemption, slowly growing before our eyes as the story unfolds.

Natalie Portman is excellent and look for Carey Mulligan's four minutes of screen time.

This is not an anti-war film except in the sense that any film that shows war either glorifies it unrealistically or jars us into questioning, if it is realistic. The scenes in Afghanistan seem authentic. The tortures are not so so graphic as some of the other reviews imply. They will cause you to wince, but its good film making, not microscopic detail.

I want to search out Susanne Bier's 2005 film "Broedre"--it can't lessen the impact of this one, however.