Brothers: An honest look into a military reality

I watched the film "Brothers" this past weekend starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Natalie Portman. I was really impressed by the film, especially by its heart. I thought it was extremely successful at portraying the complexities of the real-life drama without becoming an exaggerated melodrama. The film also bravely depicted a serious reality: the stress and trauma and troubles that our brave service men and women have to face, not just on the battlefield, but when they return home. Just like with individuals suffering from depression, the friends and families of soldiers simply cannot understand how these men and women feel as much as they want to and try to. It's a really tough place to be in, on both sides. It's becoming an increasing reality for American families, and it truly breaks my heart that all the love and happiness the should be experienced when our loved ones return to us is being overshadowed by sadness and heartbreak and fear. It's no one's fault. It's just a harsh truth and side effect of troubled times and war. Sometimes it seems to me that to be one of the fallen is a happier ending than to be one of those that survive although I would never wish that on anyone.

Maguire, Gyllenhaal, and Portman all delivered outstanding performances that are captivating, endearing and real. Tobey Maguire as Captain Cahill demonstrated a skill and ability that still blows me away. He proved himself to be more than the dorky nice-guy-superhero and revealed the ability to portray a dark and deep side that shook me to my core. The previews for the film depict a different story than the one that unfolds. It leads you to expect more development and focus on the relationship between Portman and Gyllenhaal, but that remained mostly unaddressed.  In many ways I also found the title of the film to be misleading as the relationship between the brothers played by Gyllenhaal and Maguire was not the center of the film but rather the relationship between all members of the family and how each struggles to deal with life and the situations they find themselves in.


Don't expect an uplifting and happy ending as this is a portrayal of the complexities of reality, not a fairy tale, and don't be surprised if you tear up a bit.