|
 There
is a ready-made dramatic allure to having a glimpse inside the mechanics
of a military family; the dynamics of which is one of those things that
can never fully be grasped by those outside of that circle. A clan
within a clan, there is an outwardly strong and inwardly fragile thread
that binds these folks. They have put service to their country before
personal concerns and throw wholehearted support to the mission that
their nearest and dearest military member is enduring. Based on a 2004
Danish film, Brothers is the story of one such household, but while this
intimate drama hinges on the mysteries of what makes them tick, the film
finds its common ground in the travails of families everywhere.
The
Cahill’s are a classic multi-generational military family, with both the
elder Cahill and his firstborn son, Sam, officers during their
respective war times. It is only days before Sam is deployed to
Afghanistan that he is there when his younger brother Tommy walks out of
prison. It is without hesitation or doubt that Sam commands his troops
on their mission; his bond with them evident even when tragedy strikes a
helicopter transport over the mountains. The aftermath of that tragedy
takes unbearable tolls on all the members of the Cahill family.
Superb
performances from Tobey Maguire and Sam Shepard shine in Brothers.
Maguire is riveting as Sam Cahill. Besides being a model Marine, Sam is
the portrait of a loving family man. He married his beautiful, adoring
high school sweetheart; he’s a doting father and a chip off his dad’s
impressive, epauleted block. He’s even a pillar of support for his
ne’er-do-well brother, Tommy, who is as much the Cahill’s black sheep as
Sam is their shining light. Sam’s transformation from loving,
foursquare husband and father to an unbalanced, dangerous doppelganger
is truly terrifying and Maguire reaches harrowing depths. Sam Shepard
adds layers to the tough-as-nails alcoholic veteran who makes no bones
about his adoration of one son over the other. Shepard seethes at the
sight of scapegrace Tommy, even wishing the tragedy had taken him
instead of Sam; yet is the picture of an indulgent, gentle grandfather
to Sam’s two daughters. As in 2002’s In America, director Jim Sheridan
once again nurtures wonderful work from his youngest cast members: Bailee
Madison and Taylor Geare play the youngest Cahill’s, with an explosive
moment from Madison that nearly stops the film with its power. Oscar
noms abound.
The
only moments of hesitation I had during Brothers was initially in
looking at Maguire as the respected military captain, husband, father of
two young girls and older brother to Jake Gyllenhaal’s Tommy, and while
the actor is actually old enough to be all those things, he is possessed
of a boyish face that throws one for a second. The other quibble I had
was as to whether it was even necessary to show the scenes in
Afghanistan at all. I think the plight of the Cahill’s might’ve been
better told without those moments because the reality is they don’t know
what happened to Sam during his mission, which is part of their
difficulty in coping. Those scenes affected the film’s pacing and only
served to take me away from the family’s story of recovery, which was at
the heart of the piece. Maguire’s amazing work overcame the first issue
and I can give a pass to the second because the rest of the film is so
satisfying.
While
one is tempted to call Brothers a war film, it is only marginally so;
despite the intimate glimpse in the lives of this military clan, the war
is only the backdrop for any family tragedy. Brothers’ focus is on the
intricate web of the delicate dynamics of a family and how a single
incident can change them forever. Bravo to Jim Sheridan and his
brilliant cast for their deft and sensitive handling of such complex and
universal issues.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
Dec. 4th,
2009
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