Drama
Synopsis
Cast: Connie Nielsen, Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Bent Mejding, Solbjorg Hojfeldt, Sarah Juel Werner, Rebecca Logstrup, Bjarne Antonisen, Michael Asmussen, André Babikian, Niels Lund Boesen, Laura Bro
Producer(s):
Crew: Director - Susanne Bier, Writer - Susanne Bier, Writer - Anders Thomas Jensen, Producer - Peter Jensen, Producer - Sisse Olsen, Original Music - Johan Söderqvist, Cinematographer - Morten Søborg, Film Editor - Pernille Christensen, Film Editor - Adam Nielsen, Casting - Lene Seested, Casting - Jette Termann, Production Design - Viggo Bentzon, Set Decoration - Lene Ejlersen
Distributor: IFC Films
Release Date: 05/13/2005
Running Time: 110 minutes
OFFICIAL SITE
Production Notes:
- Notes provided by IFC Films -
The lives of two very different brothers become simultaneously intertwined and thrust apart in this intense and powerful drama directed by Susanne Bier.
Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is released from prison and embraced by his brother Michael (Ulrich Thomsen), an upright soldier and family man being deployed to Afghanistan. The family tension is palpable as Jannik re-assumes his role of alcoholic deviant while his loving brother prepares for impending deployment. Shortly after commencing his tour of duty, Michael's helicopter crashes and he is presumed dead. Jannik summons previously untapped maturity, aiding and comforting Michael's two daughters and wife Sarah (Connie Nielsen). As Sarah and Jannik grow closer, their dependence and admiration intensify. A world away, Michael is alive, enduring the unimaginable in hopes of surviving to return home.
DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS
In BROTHERS, international conflicts that we all know about from the papers suddenly and tangibly break into everyday life, causing change. I find it fascinating how the everyday is suddenly changed by more or less random events, and how we relate to such violent changes. Portraying the Danish military presence in Afghanistan gives the film a political aspect, but it's mainly a love story about the conditions of love in our contemporary life style. The story is about the emotions linked to these events and for me, film is about describing emotions and showing feelings.
I like to get under the skin of my characters, which is why both the serious and the funny side of life are central in my films. It was important for me that the brutality in BROTHERS stood in contrast to human warmth, tenderness and intimacy. Both sides exist, and I couldn't have described the one without the other, I wouldn't want to. My goal is to acknowledge reality and find hope there, because no matter how brutal that reality is humour is still an undeniable part of life and what keeps us human.
Susanne Bier
BIOGRAPHIES
CONNIE NIELSEN - plays Sarah
When Connie Nielsen hit the big screen as Lucilla in the award winning, all-star movie Gladiator (2001) her name was instantly on everyone's lips in Denmark. Her real breakthrough came in 1997, when she starred opposite Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in Devil's Advocate, and her acting talent hasn't gone unnoticed in films like Rushmore (1998) with Bill Murray, Permanent Midnight (1998) with Ben Stiller, Innocents (2000) with Jean Hughes Angleade, and Mission to Mars (2000) with Tim Robbins. Connie Nielsen also starred alongside Chloe Sevigny and Gina Gershon in Demonlover (2002), which was the focus of considerable attention at Cannes Film Festival the same year.
Connie Nielsen has starred in One Hour Photo (2002) with Robin Williams, The Hunted (2003) with Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro, Basic (2003) with John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson and recently Ghost Soldiers (2004), starring alongside Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes and James Franco.
Connie Nielsen left Denmark for Paris when she was 18 to follow her dream of being an actress, a quest that has taken her to places like Rome, Milan and South Africa. As well as a successful actress, Connie Nielsen is also a talented singer and dancer and speaks fluent English, German, Danish, Swedish, French and Italian. Connie Nielsen currently lives in New York.
Her role as Sarah in BROTHERS is her Danish feature debut.
ULRICH THOMSEN - plays Michael
Ulrich Thomsen graduated from the National School of Drama in 1993. He began his film career playing a violent Hell's Angel in Ole Bornedal's Nightwatch (1994) and had his first major film role in Niels Arden Oplev's Portland (1996). In the same year he had his first leading role in Thomas Vinterberg's The Biggest Heroes, a role for which he was awarded a Danish Film Academy award. In 1998 Ulrich Thomsen had his international breakthrough as Christian in Thomas Vinterberg's highly acclaimed, award winning feature The Celebration (1998), a role for which he received both a Danish Film Academy award and the Danish film critics' Bodil. Subsequent to this success Ulrich Thomsen acted in the James Bond film The World is not Enough (1999).
Ulrich Thomsen has also starred in Anders Thomas Jensen's Oscar® winning short Election Night (1998), Flickering Lights (2000), and the English feature Killing me Softly (2002), the cast of which included Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes. In Inheritance (2003) he played the leading role of Christoffer, who inherits the family steel works, a role for which he was again awarded both a Danish Film Academy award and the Danish film critics' Bodil.
Recently Ulrich Thomsen has starred in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons, which is slated for release in 2005.
NIKOLAJ LIE KAAS - plays Jannik
Since the early 90s Nikolaj Lie Kaas has had a remarkable career on both stage and screen. He made his debut at the age of 17 in Soren Kragh-Jacobsen's The Boys from St. Petri (1991), a role for which he was awarded both a Danish Film Academy award and the Danish film critics' Bodil. In 1994 he starred in Erik Clausen's screen adaptation of Carl Nielsen's autobiography My Childhood Symphony.
Nikolaj Lie Kaas graduated from The National School of Drama in 1998, the year he starred in Lars von Trier's Dogma film The Idiots - a role for which he was awarded yet another Bodil.
On stage Nikolaj Lie Kaas has acted at The Royal Theatre in classics like Peer Gynt (2001), for which he received a Reumert award for best leading role, as well as Ivanhoe (2003).
Nikolaj Lie Kaas has acted in numerous Danish films, including In China They Eat Dogs (1999) and Flickering Lights (2000), and he received a Danish Film Academy award for the leading role in Truly Human (2001). Recently Nikolaj Lie Kaas starred in the Susanne Bier's blockbuster Open Hearts (2002) for which he received his second Danish Film Academy award and third Danish film critics' Bodil.
SUSANNE BIER - Director
Susanne Bier directed the award-winning features Freud Leaving Home (1990), Family Matters (1993), Like it Never was Before (1995), Credo (1997), and The One and Only (1999), which won a whole host of Danish Film Academy and Danish film critics' awards. With record box-office sales The One and Only is one of the 5 most popular Danish feature films of all time. After this blockbuster success Susanne Bier directed Once in a Lifetime (2000), and most recently the highly acclaimed Dogma success Open Hearts (2002), which sold over half a million tickets and won no less than five Danish film awards, including best Danish film. Open Hearts was selected for San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, Sundance Film Festival in the US, and Toronto Film Festival in Canada.
As well as directing feature films Susanne Bier also works with short film, music videos and commercials.
ANDERS THOMAS JENSEN - Screenwriter
With his original, humorous screenplays Anders Thomas Jensen has written many of the biggest Danish film successes of recent years. He both wrote and directed the three short films, Ernst and the Light (1996), Wolfgang (1997) and Election Night (1998) that were all Oscar® nominated. Election Night won the 1999 Academy Award for best short film.
Successful screenplays written by Anders Thomas Jensen include In China They Eat Dogs (1999), Mifune (1999) - winner of the Silver Bear in Berlin 1999, Flickering Lights (2000), Open Hearts (2002), Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002), Skagerrak (2003) and The Green Butchers (2003).
In 2000 Anders Thomas Jensen had his debut as a feature film director with Flickering Lights, followed by The Green Butchers in 2003. Anders Thomas is currently in pre-production for his third feature film, Adam's Apples.
SISSE GRAUM JØRGENSEN- Producer
Sisse Graum Jørgensen is currently one of Denmark's most prolific producers. She had her debut as a producer with Chop Chop (2001), directed by Niels Arden Oplev, and has since produced films for some of Denmark's most acclaimed directors. She produced Lone Scherfig's Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (2002), and was associate producer of Susanne Bier's Open Hearts (2002). She is currently producing Thomas Vinterberg's Dear Wendy, which will be premiered primo 2005, as well as Niels Arden Oplev's latest feature, which went into production summer 2004. Sisse Graum Jørgensen is also working on Lone Scherfig's coming feature.
PETER AALBÆK JENSEN - Producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen is the flamboyant director of Zentropa. His business talents, combined with Lars von Trier's artistic genius have made Zentropa one of the most successful production companies in the world of contemporary film.
Peter Aalbæk Jensen has been the executive producer of an abundance of Zentropa productions including Open Hearts (2002), Dogville (2003), Inheritance (2003), Skagerrak (2003) and In Your Hands (2004), as well as co-producing films like Lilja 4-ever (2002) and the Dutch/Belgian Apollo 11 (2003).
As well as producing Susanne Bier's BROTHERS, Peter Aalbæk Jensen is currently executive producer of Thomas Vinterberg's next feature Dear Wendy, as well as the second film in Lars von Trier's US trilogy Manderlay.
