Danish screenwriter and director Susanne Bier's eight feature film which she co-wrote with Danish screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen, is inspired by Homer's poem "The Odyssey". It was shot on location in Denmark and Spain and is a Denmark-Norway-Sweden-UK co-production which was produced by producers Peter Aalbæk Jensen and Sisse Graum Jørgensen. It tells the story about a man named Michael Lundberg who lives in a lucrative home in with his lovely wife Sarah and their two daughters. Michael is like the recipe of success and as opposed to his rebellious brother Jannik, the pride of the family, but his life takes a new course when he is sent on a mission to Afghanistan. Briefly after his departure, Sarah receives a call and is told that her husband is missing in action. Alone with her two children Sarah seeks comfort in Jannik who is more than willing to take on Michael's role. Early on Susanne Bier divides the film into two parallel stories which converges into a dynamic confrontation. The substance in her incarnated character drama is the sporadic relationship between Michael and Jannik who are of the same blood, but of different caliber. One is the apple of the family's eye and gets all the love while the other is the black sheep who has been reminded so often about his shortcomings that he no longer sees any reason in trying to meet the expectations of his family. Both of these characters personalities alters significantly during the course of the film, but the gravity in this in-depth study of character lies in Michael's transformation from happy family man to demoralized war victim.Family relations is a characteristic theme in the films of Susanne Bier and the frequent close-ups which recurs in several of her films is also present here. In "Brødre", Susanne Bier examines family situations with acute observations which illuminates interpersonal truths. Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen "The Inheritance" (2003), Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas "The Idiots" (1998) and Danish actress Connie Nielsen "Gladiator" (2000) are the central characters in this compassionate drama triangle and their commendable acting performances are one of the main reasons for this films individuality. It lives on it's own terms, many questions are left for the viewers to answer and the natural progression of the characters is given a higher priority than satisfying conclusions. Susanne Bier creates archetypal human figures, tells genuine stories and invites the viewers into her human insight with her distinct and engaging directing.

The family man Major Michael Lundberg (Ulrich Thomsen) is happily married with his beloved Sarah (Connie Nielsen) and adores his two daughters Natalia (Sarah Juel Werner) and Camilla (Rebecca Løgstrup Soltau). His younger brother Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) has just left prison on probation for bank robbery and has issues with his father Henning (Bent Mejding). Michael invites Jannik to have dinner at home with their family. When Michael arrives in Afghanistan, his helicopter crashes and he is considered missing in action. However, he is captured and sent to a camp where he meets the radar technician Niels Peter (Paw Henriksen). After a long period imprisoned, Micahel is forced to kill Niels with a bar to survive. Meanwhile Jannick comforts Sarah and the children and he becomes close to Michael's family. When Michael is rescued, he comes back home emotionally detached and paranoid. Further, he is convinced that Sarah and Jannik have slept together during his absence. When the envious Natalia lies during the birthday dinner party of her sister telling that her mother and Jannik had shagged to upset her father, the disturbed Michael triggers an intense paranoia jeopardizing his family. "Brødre" is a powerful and realistic drama about lives destroyed by war. This film is extremely well-acted, with an adequate cast that gives credibility to the plot led by the gorgeous and excellent Connie Nielsen. The sensitive director Susanne Bier of "Efter Brylluppet" makes another extraordinary movie based on the family dynamics. Jim Sheridan remade this film in 2009, but in a shallow teen "americanization" version. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "Brothers"

"Brothers" is another outstanding film from Danish Producer, Director and Writer, Susanne Bier. After watching "Open Hearts" (2002), "Brothers"(2004), "After the Wedding" (2006) and last but not least "Things We Lost in The Fire" (2007) a recurrent theme emerges from her filmography. In "Brothers", Susanne tells us the story of two contrasting brothers, Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) and Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). Michael is a scrupulous Danish Officer and family man who is sent to Afghanistan on a rescue mission. Jannik is the younger brother who can't keep himself out of trouble and has recently been released from Prison following a sentence for robbery. Assisted by a beautiful soundtrack and an amazing photography, Susanne shows us the beautiful depth of Michael and Sarah's (Connie Nielsen) love before Michael is sent to Afghanistan. There is a scene at the beginning where Michael tells his soldiers to expect the unexpected in the war-scenario. This scene introduces a sense of 'impending doom' and tragedy that at first seems to be confirmed when Michael's helicopter is shot down. The amazing twist of irony in the narrative, is that the real tragedy is still to come. Prompted by a dysfunctional and emotionally inept father, Jannik decides to help his sister-in-law and nieces through the difficult bereavement. Maybe moved by grief initially, Jannik ends up falling in love with Connie Nielsen and they kiss each other. At the same time and after having survived the helicopter crash, Michael is captured by a group of afghan troops and locked up in a warehouse with a young army technician he was meant to rescue. The captors then decide the young soldier is no longer useful and force Michael to kill him with a lead-pipe to save his own life. The camp is then attacked by British troops who rescue Michael and bring him back to Denmark. Unable to deal with the guilt of having killed the young technician, and consumed by jealousy, Michael starts experiencing bursts of anger and mood swings. The plot reaches its dramatic peak, when the eldest daughter of the couple attacks Michael at the dinner table and in a very crude way tells his father that he is resentful because Sarah prefers to have sex with his brother. Enraged, Michael assaults his wife and brother and is arrested by the Police. The film ends with Sarah visiting Michael in Prison and asking him about what had happened in Afghanistan. At this point, Michael breaks down and starts sobbing in a scene of high emotional intensity.

It's not hard to classify this one--it's an intense psychological drama. Whatever mood you were in before you started, you are most likely to be in a somber mood at the end. Perhaps the less you know about the story the more it will involve you. This is one of those movies that makes you ask the questions, "What would I have done in that situation," and "How would I have lived with my decision."The main thrust of the story is an intimate examination of how a tragedy affects family dynamics. Nature abhors a vacuum. Guilt, jealousy, and doubt drive this to an intense climax.Parformances are first rate, particularly Connie Nielsen.