Brothers

Brothers is a masterpiece.

Herald rating: * * * *

Those who admired - "enjoyed" is not quite the word - the Danish ensemble drama Open Hearts a couple of years back will know what they're in for here - an intense psychological drama that has more than a whiff of classical tragedy about it. It's a long way from being a date movie, but it's a masterpiece of its kind.

The drama of Open Hearts derives from a catastrophic moment near the beginning, when a strong, sporty young man is paralysed from the neck down. The ripples that radiate from this threaten to swamp several lives.

The catastrophe that drives Brothers occurs further into the movie and is almost unbearably far from being momentary. Michael (Thomsen) is a member of a Danish United Nations contingent in Afghanistan when his helicopter is shot down. He is missing, presumed dead, but what he endures is, if anything, worse than death.

At home, his mourning wife (Nielsen) and two daughters share the family home with Michael's wastrel brother, Jannik (Kaas, the tetraplegic of Open Hearts), out of prison after serving a sentence for armed robbery.

Michael returns, bearing terrible scars that are at once obvious and invisible, since most of the film's drama is distilled into what happens next. Neither Michael nor Jannik are the men they once were, and the reversal of their assumed roles portends a family meltdown.

Bier shows what a terrific director she is. The brothers are brilliant, but Nielsen is the star, in many ways. The Danish-born actress has never had a role in her homeland, although she has turned her polyglot skills to Italian and French films as well as Hollywood (Rushmore, Gladiator).

She is excellent as the woman caught between two men who are powerless against the forces driving them. It's not pretty but it is a reminder of how anaemic and unrealistic most American drama is. Recommended.

Verdict: Intense Danish psychological drama from the same writer-director team who made Open Hearts, this is not for the fainthearted. A masterpiece of its kind.

Cast: Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Director: Susanne Bier
Running time: 113 minutes
Rating: R16, violence, content may disturb
Screening: Rialto