Brothers (Brødre) (2004)
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Reviews Counted: 72
Fresh: 64 | Rotten: 8
This tense, understated drama explores the complications of individual and social ethics stemming from the repercussions of war on one man and his family.
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 2
This tense, understated drama explores the complications of individual and social ethics stemming from the repercussions of war on one man and his family.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 3,901
My Rating
Movie Info
Two brothers unwittingly exchange roles under the fog of war in this powerful drama. Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) and Jannick (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are two brothers who have always meshed as well as oil and water. Michael is a caring husband and father who risen to the rank of major in the Danish Army, while Jannick is an alcoholic with a violent streak who has been in and out of prison much of his life. Jannick has just been released after serving time for armed robbery when Michael learns he's being
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Cast
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Connie Nielsen
Sarah -
Ulrich Thomsen
Michael -
Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Jannick -
Bent Mejding
Henning -
Solbjørg Højfeldt
Else -
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Laura Bro
Ditte -
Niels Olsen
Allentoft -
Sarah Juel Werner
Natalie -
Rebecca Løgstrup Soltau
Camilla -
Lars Ranthe
Preben 1 -
Lars Hjortshøj
Preben 2 -
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All Critics (83) | Top Critics (29) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (8) | DVD (10)
Bier, honored as an Emerging Master at the Seattle International Film Festival this year, is clearly a director to watch. In her hands, a story that could become melodramatic is gripping and heartbreaking.
Top CriticAt its core, Susanne Bier's wrenching portrayal of the shifting dynamics within a Danish family is really about survival, about how we cope in the face of shattering grief and what we'll do -- anything, really -- to save ourselves.
A profoundly affecting movie, one in which our sympathies lie with everyone.
Feels like an amalgam of newsreel and stage drama, but with the most potent aspects of both art forms.
Keeps itself floating above the suds thanks to Bier's crisp and lively visual design, the general loveliness of her cast ... and her attention to small moments of arresting domestic authenticity.
A powerful, brutal, funny, tragic, vibrant, very human movie.
Strong performances and scenes of the father's imprisonment in war camps make for tense viewing.
if every film I see is as satisfying a complex human drama as this, I wouldn't have much to gripe about.
Un drama familiar intimista y bien actuado sobre los efectos que puede producir un trauma en la vida de las personas, y sobre la oportunidad de cambiar.
A poignant reminder that social issues, in the end, are personal matters.
Audience Reviews for Brothers (Brødre)
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Latest News on Brothers (Brødre)
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Foreign Titles
- Brothers (Brodre) (DE)
- Brothers (UK)
We watch no film in a vacuum. The films we've seen in the past inevitably affect how we view new films. In this case, I couldn't help but compare the original Danish version of this story to the American remake starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman. All three American actors have turned in good, sometimes great, performances in other work, but I found the American version staid and uninteresting.
Now, I compare that to this film. The performances by Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Ulrich Thomsen, and Connie Nielsen are far and away better. Even on the most superficial level, Kaas looks like a fuck-up brother while Thomsen's maturity and political commitment resonate his every move. The final climactic moments hold more suspense and engender more fear because Thomsen's emotional decay is a more extreme inner torment and his physical stature is more demanding than anything that Tobey Maguire could inspire.
There are almost no differences in the stories, but the way the original is told, by actors who are truly right for their parts rather than Hollywood stars trying to fit into unwilling molds, makes Brothers compelling drama.
As much as I liked this film, especially in comparison to its flaccid American cousin, the story is still littered with "must-happens," in Super Reviewer Alice Shen's words.
Overall, Brothers proves that a clone is never as good as the original.