Mental Health Blogs

This weekend I watched a poignant film about a soldier who is captured in Afghanistan and the devastating effects it has on his wife and children and his family of origin.  The movie also does a nice job of illustrating the familial roles of hero and scapegoat and how these roles might be reversed. 

“Brothers” (2005) is a Danish film (with English, French and Spanish subtitles) which examines the relationship between two brothers and the effects of war on that relationship.  Jannik has just been released from drug rehab and is clearly the scapegoat of the family.  His brother Michael is in the military and is clearly the hero of the family.  Michael is sent to Afghanistan to rescue a fellow soldier, captured by guerilla forces there.  The effects on Michael’s participation in this war on himself, his immediate family and his family of origin is beautifully described in this moving film.  This movie demonstrates not only the human toll of fighting wars, but family roles and how they can reverse due to circumstances.  The division of two brothers into these two roles, hero and scapegoat, is fairly common and well portrayed in this film.

There is an American remake by the same title (“Brothers”, 2009) which I have not seen.  I rented this movie through Netflix.  It can also be purchased at Amazon.com, below:

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