Beyond the visual novelty of murderers and rapist sitting in silent practice, The Dhamma Brothers seems to be interested in surprisingly little.
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04/15/08
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The Dhamma Brothers (2008)
82
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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.
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.... [More]
Director: Jenny Phillips, Andrew Kukura, Anne Marie Stein
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Reviews for The Dhamma Brothers
A sincere but unevenly made documentary about Buddhism on death row.
05/16/08
Not polished enough to spread, or strike a nerve, within the wider moviegoing community.
04/11/08
An example of advocacy filmmaking at its most inspired.
06/13/08
If nothing else, it might change stereotypical perceptions about convicts and prison life.
04/15/08
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.
05/09/08
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'.
05/09/08
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.
04/09/08
The Dhamma Brothers offers a constructive alternative to the hopelessness of human warehousing.
04/11/08
Top CriticExamines the before and after mindsets of hardened cons converted to an Eastern spiritual path.
04/08/08
The thoughtfulness and humanity of these inmates is a potent reminder that there's almost no such thing as a lost cause.
05/16/08
(W)hat many will remember about this otherwise informative film is the way in which we get to know these men.
04/12/08
Penetrating study of hardened prisoner's discovering their humane essence through training sessions in Buddhism.
04/08/08
Takes you on a thrilling and hopeful voyage through a very dark place.
04/11/08
Top CriticThere'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.
05/02/08
Top CriticThe film does a poor job of explaining the discipline or how it works, and naively takes the convicts' testimonials at face value.
05/08/08
Most of these men will never know freedom beyond prison walls, but they have learned liberation from within.
05/09/08
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.
04/11/08
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.
04/10/08
It's a truly inspirational piece of documentary filmmaking bolstered by a fine soundtrack featuring the music of Low, New Order and Sigur Ros.
04/11/08
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