Finally, the thought provoking movie I have been waiting years to see..."Brothers", screenplay by David Bernoff, beautifully and believably acted by Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal, and quietly directed by Jim Sheridan.
The plot revolves about a militarily committed Marine captain who is declared dead in combat in Afghanistan, only to be found alive, and to return home to his wife and two young girls. This is not a war movie. It is a story of the complexity of each "ordinary" human life, the life altering choices we may encounter along the way, and the best and moral way to handle the crises they give rise to. I put ordinary in quotations because you may come to see that none of us are "ordinary", but each of us a very unique and complex collection of attitudes, principles and emotions that cannot be easily categorized.
I said the movie was thought proking. Here are some of the questions you may be provoked to think about:
* Is the military standard of "there is the mission and only the mission", realistic and/or humane and/or livable?
* Is there ever a time when it is better to be dead than alive?
* What obligations, if any, do brothers share with each other?
* Can a love that has ended because of the death of one of the lovers continue to deserve respect?
* Is there ever a time when truth is not the best choice?
* When, if at all, do parents deserve forgiveness for errors in parenting?
* How best to deal with a failure to meet our own standards?
* Can one outlive the trauma of combat?
Do not be surprised to find that your initial instinctive answers to these questions may be challenged as the movie unfolds, and may be completely different by movie's end. And in a way this movie does not end, for the provocative questions it raises may leave the theater with you and join you on your trip home.
At least they did with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment