MOVIES: Brothers (Susanne Bier, 2004/US 2005)

Very impressive Danish film about the cruelties of war and the struggle to change one's role in a family.

It's clear as soon as we meet Michael and Jannik that they are solidly locked into their respective roles as the good brother and the bad brother. Michael (Ulrich Thomsen) is preparing to leave with his military unit for his second tour of duty in Afghanistan; Jannik (Nikolai Lie Kaas) has just been released from prison after a bank robbery.

Almost as soon as Michael arrives in Afghanistan, the helicopter carrying his team is shot down, with all aboard presumed dead. Jannik is deeply affected by the news, trying desperately to become a more responsible man and to help his brother's widow, Sarah (Connie Nielsen).

We quickly learn, though his family does not, that Michael has survived the crash and been taken prisoner. He will return a changed man as a result of his experiences, and all three characters will struggle to adjust to the shifting dynamics among them.

The story occasionally borders on melodrama and soap opera, but the three principal actors are so solid in their roles that they carry us through the weak spots. Thomsen and Nielsen are particularly fine. This is the first Danish film for Nielsen, a Danish native who has gotten good reviews in supporting roles in Hollywood films (One Hour Photo, Gladiator, The Ice Harvest) without ever landing the big role that might make her a star; on the basis of her work here, she certainly deserves that kind of breakthrough.