Brothers

The fracture of family and war in Brothers.

‘They fuck you up, your mum and dad,’ as the poet said. The Dogme-inspired Brothers takes this as its starting point, and shows how pernicious war is too.

Brothers deftly criss-crosses two storylines. Michael is a responsible family man and soldier, imprisoned by the Taliban in Afghanistan. In his absence, feckless unemployed younger brother Jannick finds a role for himself looking after Michael’s family – even after his rescue and return.

Although the Taliban scenes are sketchy, the dynamics of the extended family are spot on, illuminating how other people make us what we are. A fine film.

This first appeared in our award-winning magazine - to read more, subscribe from just £7