76
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittA triumph of psychological drama, owing as much to Ms. Bier's sensitive style as to Anders Thomas Jensen's smart screenplay, based on Bier's own story idea.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttEveryone involved -- actors, crew, director Susanne Bier and screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen in their second collaboration -- are in peak form in this unflinching look at repressed feelings and emotional devastation.
- 80VarietyVarietyThe second collaboration between helmer Susanne Bier and scriptwriter Anders Thomas Jensen once again shows what skilled artists can do with a story that might have ended up filled with cliches.
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFilmed in the unadorned Dogme style and acted with a ferocious intensity.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoDirector Susanne Bier is helped by a well-chosen cast, especially the glowing Nielsen, a Danish-born actress best known for American films like "Gladiator."
- 75New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanTapping into the basest fears of war while subverting all expectations, director Susanne Bier deftly reads between the headlines.
- 70Film ThreatPete Vonder HaarFilm ThreatPete Vonder HaarWhat sets Bier's film apart from similar fare are the consistently fine performances and powerful scenes of surprising ferocity.
- 70The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasA movie so nice she made it twice, Susanne Bier's Dogme-certified feature "Open Hearts" gets a slight makeover in her follow-up Brothers, another raw melodrama about three lives recalibrated by sudden tragedy.
- 60EmpireDan JolinEmpireDan JolinSounds rather soapy and melodramatic, but director Susanne Bier, assisted by an able cast, ensures the traumas are painfully realistic and subtly observed.
- 50Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonBrothers emerges as no less or more than Bier's claustrophobic compositions and unimaginative choices.