'Brothers' is a war of emotions

Brothers is yet another example of a film that is advertised as being something completely different than it actually is, and it treats its subject with far more delicacy than its thriller-like trailer would have us believe. Rather than focusing on a forbidden sexual tryst and the husband’s insane jealousy, the story is more about war, and how a ripple effect brings its horrors to everyone involved.

When Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire)  is reported dead in Afghanistan, his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries to take care of his family. Sam was actually a prisoner of war, however, and when he returns, the trauma of the experience causes a mental breakdown in the form of violent jealousy over a supposed affair between his brother and his wife, Grace (Natalie Portman).

The film’s strength lies in creating a sense of intimacy between the audience and the characters, using close-ups, heavy silences and meaningful glances, to the point where the tension is almost palpable. All of the characters’ relationships are subjected to a (sometimes painful) closer look, but, surprisingly, it is the couple’s oldest daughter who steals the show.

As the precocious but often-overlooked Isabelle Cahill, Bailee Madison is pitch-perfect in every scene, frequently outshining her adult co-stars. That the film ends by addressing only the issues between the brothers and Grace is one of its weaknesses; it is true to the title, but not to the rest of the movie. It’s particularly a shame in the case of Isabelle, whose feelings about Sam and Tommy are among the most fascinating aspects of the film.

In general, Brothers succeeds at examining the emotional aftermath of war. Its main shortcoming was in taking on so many character subplots that it didn’t have time to address all of them, and several of the most dynamic plotlines were left in the dust in favor of a cursory confession scene between Sam and Grace. Still, as a multiple-character study, it was an interesting take on the “coming home from war” saga that, more than just putting one human face on the issue, put a whole family.