Brotherhood - Thure Lindhardt

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Brotherhood')

Directed by Nicolo Donato
Denmark 2009

Former Danish servicemen Lars and Jimmy are thrown together while training in a neo-Nazi group. Moving from hostility through grudging admiration to friendship and finally passion, events take a darker turn when their illicit relationship is uncovered.

****

Though Nicolo Donato's impressive debut, "Brotherhood," inevitably will be called "the gay neo-Nazi movie," such a reductive description does the film a disservice. While the film does track the unlikely sexual relationship between two members of a violent racist organization, it's Donato's assured direction, plus the superb thesping on display, that sets "Brotherhood" above what could have been either fetishistic or far-fetched. The winner of Rome's top prize, the pic could see strong Euro and bicoastal arthouse play, though some auds may be uncomfortable with the theme and the palpable passion.

Excerpt from Variety located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: October 21st, 2009 - Rome Film Festival

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DVD Review: Olive Films - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Olive Films - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:41:21
Video	2.35:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.68 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Danish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English (burned-in)
Features	Release Information: Studio: Olive Films Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (1:34) DVD Release Date: November 16th, 2010 Keep Case Chapters: 8

Comments:

This isn't an older Paramount release as we have seen Olive Films cover in the past (see My Favorite Spy , Where Love Has Gone, Knock on Wood, Harlow, Appointment With Danger, William Dieterle's Dark City, Rudolph Mate's Union Station, the enjoyable Hammer-esque sci-fi Crack in the World and others). This is a Danish film (yes about being 'gay' and a neo-Nazi') theatrically distributed by Olive Films in North America.

The DVD image looks a little thick and much of the film is with hand-held camera modulations exporting vérité-style, hazy, visuals. This may well be how the film itself looks and not a factor of the transfer - which is competently dual-layered, anamorphic and progressive. The print used is, predictably, very clean and there are no overly annoying digital artifacts. I got used to the heavy image very quickly and it wasn't a deterrent in my viewing.

The Danish language audio is flat but everything is consistent and clear. I noted no flaws. There are burned-in English subtitles which I construe as a negative. The only extra is a 1.5 minute trailer - also with burned-in subtitles.

The homosexuality aspects of the film are a prevalent theme but I never felt it was exploitive or 'overused'. It is tackled from a few impressive angles. There is a lot left 'unspoken' in character's development and history but the film exports a darker - hard-hitting tone. I wasn't particularly in the mood when I started but found it a curious, and very real, expression worthy of a spin. There are compelling subplots of drug-use and redemption that also don't evolve to a more unified state. Brotherhood has a unique edge though - and a film worth checking out if you have the time and inclination.