The movie brings disease back to metaphoric ground zero and, in the process, links the sick and the healthy in one significant but often overlooked manner: We're all prisoners of our own bodies.
Son Frere (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:10
Rotten:0
Average Rating:7.1/10
Theatrical Release:Apr 2, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: This harrowing family tale about illness and grief is directed by the commanding Patrice Chereau (QUEEN MARGOT, INTIMACY). Captivating at every moment, the film thrives on the emotional intensity... This harrowing family tale about illness and grief is directed by the commanding Patrice Chereau (QUEEN MARGOT, INTIMACY). Captivating at every moment, the film thrives on the emotional intensity of its characters. Thomas (Bruno Todeschini) has been diagnosed with a strange blood disease, and he calls on his brother Luc (Eric Caravaca) for help. Though they both live in Paris, they are not close, using Luc's homosexuality as the barrier between them. Stereotypes are dissipated through these characters--Luc is gay yet self-assured and healthy; Thomas is straight yet self-defeating and sick. The chronology jerks forward months at a time--February, July, March, and so forth--as if time is on pause, and it might just stop. Thomas's illness is unpredictable, and his hospital stays happen unexpectedly, keeping everyone--parents, Thomas' girlfriend Claire (Nathalie Boutefeu), and Luc's boyfriend Vincent--in a state of constant anxiety. With painful-to-watch hospital scenes and moments of tortured emotional outpouring, SON FRERE is a poignant portrait of coping with human mortality. [More]
Starring: Bruno Todeschini, Eric Caravaca, Nathalie Boutefeu, Maurice Garrel
Starring: Bruno Todeschini, Eric Caravaca, Nathalie Boutefeu, Maurice Garrel, Sylvain Jacques, Catherine Ferran, Fred Ulysse, Antoinette Moya
Director: Patrice Chereau
Director: Patrice Chereau
Screenwriter: Anne-Louise Trividic, Patrice Chereau
Producer: Pierre Chevalier
Studio: Strand Releasing
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Reviews for Son Frere
Both [Todeschini] and Caravaca do a great deal with very little histrionics to make auds care for two brothers who are clearly re-learning to appreciate their family ties, but who only rarely confront each other about their respective emotional journeys.
Just the quiet drama of two brothers, briefly reunited in their old Nantes neighborhood. Just the small essential struggle of one man, trying to make sense of a life before it's gone.
A harrowingly accurate portrait of the indignities sometimes suffered by hospitalized patients -- and the sacrifices their families make.
Insightful and often painful to watch, Patrice Chereau's sensitive drama captures the reality of chronic illness.
Patrice Chereau's film is not always pleasant to sit through, but it has the raw, unsettling power, and the surprising tenderness, of a Lucian Freud painting brought to life.
An unsentimental, almost uninflected, account of a preparation for death, told with a painful clarity that eventually bleeds into compassion.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
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