BROTHERS

From the director of In America, In the Name of the Father, My Left Foot.

 A man goes to war and comes back a spectral presence in his home, thin, scarred and haunted, an empty shell who left everything in Afghanistan except his anger. The power of war to transform people, the subject of Jim Sheridan's Brothers, is brought home in the performance of Tobey Maguire. Brothers touches on the effects of war and also on the culture of a specific type of family. The father, played by Sam Shepard, is a former soldier, a very hard, limited man and a nasty drunk. His sons grew up to play the roles this mean, stupid man assigned to them, Sam (Maguire) as the family hero and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) as the black sheep. Brothers has the careful observation, measured pace and lived-in feeling of a good European film. Gyllenhaal and Maguire have the flashy roles and they don't shrink from them. But it may very well be Natalie Portman, as a military wife and the mother of Sam's two daughters, that you'll find yourself thinking about the next day. In a role without any flamboyant touches, playing what is essentially just a decent, intelligent woman, Portman lends the film dignity, understanding and true radiance.. –San Francisco Chronicle