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The Dhamma Brothers

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The Dhamma Brothers (2008)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:18

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: This thoughtful if rough hewn doc about death row inmates who discover Buddhism inspires hope that all of us are worthy of redemption.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 76 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 11, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison—the end of the line in Alabama’s correctional system—is forever changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program.... East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison—the end of the line in Alabama’s correctional system—is forever changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days. This film, with the power to dismantle stereotypes about men behind prison bars also, in the words of Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking), “gives you hope for the human race." --© Balcony Releasing [More]

Director: Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kukura, Anne Marie Stein

Director: Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kukura, Anne Marie Stein
Producer: Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kukura, Anne Marie Stein
Studio: Balcony Releasing

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Reviews for The Dhamma Brothers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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An example of advocacy filmmaking at its most inspired.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/13/08
Andrea Gronvall
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The thoughtfulness and humanity of these inmates is a potent reminder that there's almost no such thing as a lost cause.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
05/16/08
Marc Mohan
Marc Mohan
Oregonian

A sincere but unevenly made documentary about Buddhism on death row.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment 1 Comment
05/16/08
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Most of these men will never know freedom beyond prison walls, but they have learned liberation from within.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
05/09/08
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times

A sort of cross between The Shawshank Redemption and an episode of MSNBC's Lockup, the intriguing documentary The Dhamma Brothers makes a cogent case for prisoner rehabilitation over, as one inmate here bluntly puts it, being 'warehoused till you die'.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/09/08
Gary Goldstein
Gary Goldstein
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though compelling as far as it goes, a little more skepticism and drama would have made for a more engaging film and enhanced its message.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
05/09/08
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

The film does a poor job of explaining the discipline or how it works, and naively takes the convicts' testimonials at face value.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment 1 Comment
05/08/08
Bill White
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

There's one image you're likely to take away from this mind-boggling documentary. It's of rows and rows of men dressed completely in white and seated cross-legged on royal blue mats.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/02/08
Ruthe Stein
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Beyond the visual novelty of murderers and rapist sitting in silent practice, The Dhamma Brothers seems to be interested in surprisingly little.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
04/15/08
Jurgen Fauth
Jurgen Fauth
About.com

If nothing else, it might change stereotypical perceptions about convicts and prison life.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/15/08
Eric Monder
Eric Monder
Film Journal International

(W)hat many will remember about this otherwise informative film is the way in which we get to know these men.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
04/12/08
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

It's a truly inspirational piece of documentary filmmaking bolstered by a fine soundtrack featuring the music of Low, New Order and Sigur Ros.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/11/08
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Not polished enough to spread, or strike a nerve, within the wider moviegoing community.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment 1 Comment
04/11/08
Mark Keizer
Mark Keizer
Boxoffice Magazine

The Dhamma Brothers offers a constructive alternative to the hopelessness of human warehousing.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/11/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A remarkable documentary about inmates at an Alabama prison who do a 10-day silent meditation retreat which opens them to the experience of inner peace and compassion.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/11/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Takes you on a thrilling and hopeful voyage through a very dark place.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
04/11/08
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film, which focuses primarily on four individuals, is unusually effective at finding the humanity inside men usually reviled as monsters -- not least by themselves.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
04/10/08
Joshua Land
Joshua Land
Time Out New York

The film presents an intimate, compassionate and sympathetic portrait of a group of individuals that much of society has written off as savage and brutal and who reconnect to their humanity through the act of meditation.

Full Review Source: New York Press | comment Comment
04/09/08
Amre Klimchack
Amre Klimchack
New York Press

Subject matter definitely trumps stylistic nuance in this solid journeyman effort.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/08/08
Ronnie Scheib
Ronnie Scheib
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's no doubt that the Brothers are a compelling bunch, but their story isn't well served here.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/08/08
Julia Wallace
Julia Wallace
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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April 27, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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April 11, 2008: A timely argument to give cons a second chance, given the fact that the country simply can no longer afford to keep so many hopeless souls locked behind bars. Opens in new window
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