Is it really a war film? (A review of Brothers 2009)

“You know what I fucking did to get back to you? 

“No.” Grace replies, her voice quiet. 

“You know what I fucking did— to get back to you? Sam shouts, using a crowbar to destroy the newly renovated kitchen.

“You know how he fucking suffered?” Sam rages. “He fucking suffered because of YOU!” he says, pointing fingers at Grace.  

“And what have you done to my fucking house, my fucking kids, Grace?”  In his rage, Sam continues to destroy the kitchen, and Grace's devastated eyes cannot seem to stray away from him.

“You’re fucking my brother,” he says, still wreaking havoc in his home. 

“I love you, Grace!” Sam exclaims

“YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU?”

—

The excerpt above is from Brothers (2009) movie, and this particular scene is easily the most popular scene among fans of the movie. It is also the very scene I watched on TikTok that made me watch the film. 

The film revolves around two brothers, Sam and Tommy. Sam is a US Marine serving his country in Afghanistan, and Jake is an ex-convict who served time for armed robbery. The family dynamic is made pretty clear at the start of the film. Sam is the golden child in the family. He is a Marine and has a nice little family consisting of his wife, Grace, and two daughters, Isabelle and Maggie. Tommy, on the other hand, is the black sheep and considered a “screw-up”. He robbed a bank where he held an employee at gunpoint, leaving her with trauma. Hank, their father, repeatedly compares them, making it obvious that Sam is his favourite. And finally, Elsie is the mom, whom I refer to as the peacemaker. Well, sort of, because unfortunately, she is only capable of keeping the peace to a very small extent. 

You can say Sam has a perfect life. A nice family, a good and respectable job, well, at the expense of spending time with his family, and a “beautiful” and “pretty wife,” of which the viewers are repeatedly reminded in the course of the movie. However, there is an underlying discontent and, I dare say, hatred Grace displays for Sam’s work and his continuous absence due to work. Grace dislikes Sam's job because she dreads that one day, he will never make it back home. Even his daughters are unhappy and tell him to stay. Nonetheless, Sam leaves for Afghanistan. Unfortunately, disaster strikes, and Sam and his comrades are attacked.  Grace's greatest fear becomes a reality when his family is informed that Sam has died in combat. This news leaves a huge scar on his family, and everyone struggles to cope. However, Sam, who is very much alive, is fighting to make his way back home. 

Everything changes from here. The changes made in the wake of ‘Sam's death’ lead to new sub-plots that I find particularly interesting but underdeveloped, and that barely scratches the surface. I argue that the film, which appears to portray the effects of war on individuals and families, instead reflects the changes that inevitably occur when someone is no longer there.  

Let’s dive into them, shall we? 

The dynamic between the brothers switches (which was inevitable in my opinion).

Sam is presumed dead, but his family, especially his wife, is struggling with this information. In an attempt to cheer up Grace and the kids, Tommy regularly visits. He plays with the girls and has light conversations with Grace. Most especially, I believe he wants to protect and care for the family his brother left behind. He gets his shit together and starts renovating the kitchen in the house. This project begins without permission from Grace, Sam’s wife. 

Renovating the kitchen portrays a sense of moving on, making changes, and letting go of the old and making way for the new. However, Grace shows visible discomfort concerning the project, especially because she isn’t informed. This comes across as reluctance to move on and still hold on to the old... to Sam. Nonetheless, this project continues, and the kitchen is renovated. Tommy spends so much time with Grace and the kids to the extent that the children start to like Tommy more than their own father. Tommy also grows closer to his dad, and they are able to enjoy an amicable conversation. Hank recognises that Tommy is changing for the better because of the growing relationship between him and Sam’s family, along with the renovations of the kitchen. 

The less loved sibling?

There is a subtle similarity between Tommy and Isabelle, the first daughter. Isabelle expresses that her younger sister, Maddie, always gets what she wants, and “everyone loves Maggie because she is lovable.” Isabelle tells Tommy this, and from his expression, you can tell he understands clearly what Isabelle means. Tommy and Isabelle appear to be the less-liked children. The child who is less complimented and showered with less love in comparison to their sibling. Tommy gives a perfect response to Isabelle, telling her that “everyone loves her.” This neither confirms nor rejects her statement, but reminds Isabelle that she is loved. This scene makes it clear that the final piece to strengthen their bond has been placed, to the extent that it could replace the bond Isabelle has with her father. 

Coping with grief 

Grace visibly struggles to cope with the news of Sam’s death. She expresses how she “can’t feel anything.” That isn’t she meant to feel something? But this is what happens with loss. It’s difficult, so difficult to cope with. Her struggle is seen in a lot of scenes when she stares into nothing, and she is reluctant to show other emotions than sadness. Tommy is always here during this time, and slowly, Grace improves. However, their relationship begins to seem like there is something deeper than just relying on each other to cope. 

Honestly, I saw this coming…

They kiss, which I find particularly scandalous. I’m like, “Not his brother??” I gasp. This happens while they are having an open conversation about Tommy’s apology to the woman he threatened at the bank. Prior to this, I anticipate feelings developing between the two from the very beginning. Particularly from Tommy, who appears more vulnerable and open whenever Grace is around. On the other hand, I find it difficult to determine whether Grace is developing any feelings for Tommy. But one thing is obvious: that she is still very in love with her husband Sam. The kiss is easily glazed over, coming across as two people suffering the loss of a loved one trying to seek comfort in the other. But I just have to say. Why his brother, though? Messy. 

Changes. Fighting. Surviving

So many changes happen while Sam is “dead.” Sam’s daughters now love their uncle and are quite fond of him (they didn't care for him before, btw, in case anyone is wondering). Tommy and his dad’s relationship gets better. Grace is trying to cope with her grief and take care of the kids. But Sam is fighting for his life. Captured and taken to an Afghanistan camp, where he and his comrade and friend, Joe Wills, suffer mentally, physically and psychologically. Ultimately, Sam is forced to kill his friend and fellow comrade to survive. To get back home. To return to his family. 

Only to come back and realise that nothing is the same anymore. Most especially, himself.

Sam is gaunt and visibly thin. He shows signs of PTSD and discomfort in certain environments and sounds. He notices a connection between his wife and brother. His kids are no longer close to him, appearing visibly afraid of the new version of him. Finally, his kitchen is completely unrecognisable. From wooden compartments and a wood and brown aesthetic to a kitchen that is now startlingly white. Everything appears new and foreign to Sam. 

Silence…

Sam is very quiet once he returns. Always observing more than speaking. This is foreshadowed earlier in the film. While captured in Afghanistan, Sam repeatedly told his comrade, “Don’t say anything, don’t tell them anything, don’t speak.” Basically, he told Joe to be silent. And he does the same. Obviously, this does not have to mean anything beyond the ordinary of keeping US secrets safe and not being taken advantage of to survive. But I see it as an introduction to the use of silence in the film. 

In some scenes after Sam’s return, he is always silent. To the extent that when he is asked a question, important questions like “what happened?” A long silence always follows. At the edge of my seat, I wait. I think everyone does, the viewers and the person inquiring just wait. At times, Sam responds and other times, nothing. But I believe it is brilliant to incorporate those long pauses because it intensifies the scene and increases the audience's expectations of his answer. Will Sam directly respond to the question? Or will he reply with a question, asking what everyone, the audience, and I want to hear…?

The most popular scene vs My favourite

This review begins with an excerpt from the movie. In that scene, Sam finally crashes out due to his paranoia that his wife has been sleeping with his brother. But the changes to his house and the obviously strained relationship between him and his kids also contribute to his breakdown. Toby Maguire's acting is so captivating to watch that I am stunned immediately into writing this review. However, this scene is a favourite of others, but not a favourite of mine. Well, maybe second best. 

Sam breaks down in the kitchen, where he wrecks the place while screaming at his wife. Tommy comes to help and tries to calm down, and succeeds briefly. But Grace leaves the kitchen, and Sam goes into a frenzy again, pulling the gun from his back pocket and aiming at Tommy’s head. But at the sound of sirens, Sam lets go, in disbelief that the cops are on the way. That someone called the cops on him. 

The next few minutes are the climax of the film to me. Sam goes outside to face the cops and questions them on why they are here. The cops respond, telling him to drop his weapon. A cop responds that he is a war hero, which visibly aggravates Sam even more as he vehemently denies it, saying that they don’t know what he has done. The situation escalates, and the voices telling him to put his gun down, that he should relax, grows more. Looking at everyone, Sam slowly raises the gun to his head and presses the gun against his forehead. There is so much noise at this point. The shouts from the cops, his brother calling out to him, and his wife’s screams. The noise is so excruciatingly loud. Sam shut his eyes, trying to block them out. Then, slowly, the noise subsides and sounds far away. So low that you can barely hear what anyone is saying. I feel that the moment captures exactly what Sam wants to do. He wants all the noise, his thoughts, everything, to finally stop, and there is only one way. He doesn’t want to hear anything else, and he truly, well, I believe he thinks he deserves such an ending after what he did to his friend to survive. But after a few moments, the voices surrounding him become louder again; the screams, the shouts, the shrieks even. But one in particular stands out among the rest, Tommy’s. His brother. His family. And he reminds Sam that that is exactly who he is. 

His brother. 

Notwithstanding this, here is my final rating of the film 

Plot – 7.5/10

Cinematography – 5.5/10

Acting – 8.9/10. Sam, Grace and Isabelle carried the acting. Isabelle was so good for a child. 

Music – 4/10

Watching experience – 7.3/10

Based on average, this movie would be a 6.6 rating. But I will let it have a 7.0

Note - I generally enjoyed the movie. Would I be rewatching it anytime soon? Definitely not. It's something I can only rewatch when I've forgotten everything about it, which won't be soon. 

Thanks for reading!!