Brothers

Seen at: Cinemark 16 in Fort Collins, at 9:50 p.m on Dec. 24.

Like I said, Christmas is brutal on movie watching because some releases which might otherwise play a long time in the theaters get flushed out very quickly. There simply isn't enough auditorium space.

One of the losers of the multiplex sweepstakes was Brothers, by a Danish filmmaker remaking his own movie about the Afghanistan War. I scurried over to the Cinemark to see it on the very last showing on Christmas Eve, before it left.

For much of the film, I couldn't help thinking what a shame it was, that this movie was not playing longer. Although much of the story is based on the absurd and distorted premise of Afghan "terrorists" torturing a U.S. GI (something that has never happened in 8 years of the war, and which seems like a stereotype taken from the Rambo movies), it nevertheless mostly works on a human level. Just a reminder: torturing is generally our thing, not theirs.

Actually most of story---and the core essential drama---takes place on the "home front" in the form of a burgeoning love story between the soldier's brother and his wife. Both Jake Gyllenhall and Natalie Portman were superb here, and I was captivating by the subtlety and complexity of their interaction. At the two-thirds mark, I was thinking, "what a shame that this movie is not getting the screen time it deserves."

Well, as I often do, I spoke way too soon. Recall how I said this is a remake of a Danish film, by the original auteur. Like so many European films, it eschews any narrative tension that might actually force to us to feel sharp emotions over the characters. Although it builds up a very good premise for dramatic tension, in the end, it chooses to wind down the story in one of the least satisfying ways possible, giving us no resolution to the essential drama of the love story between the soldier's brother and his wife. That's right, no resolution at all.

I nearly booed and hissed at the screen at the end. It was a huge cop-out way to end the movie. It was a great big let-down, and made me understand why people haven't been going to see this movie. If you want a war drama about the home front, try The Hurt Locker. I think it's going to win Best Picture.

Too bad about this movie. The acting was indeed very good. Natalie Portman was impressive. She's really maturing into a decent actress, leaving her teenage years behind. One day I could see her having the gravitas to play something as complex as, say, a galactic senator. Just sayin'.

Verdict: a waste of a good premise and good actors, and confirmation of the deficiencies of much of Euro-cinema.