Two Brothers review by Jeffrey Overstreet |
posted 6/25/2004
2 of 4
Guy Pearce and one of the tiger cubs
The cast. Guy Pearce, right at home in Eddie Bauer wilderness khakis, exudes intelligence, confidence and sensitivity in yet another fine performance. (Apparently he took the part because he loves cats.) He's at his best when he bonds with young Raoul, counseling him—and all of the children in the audience—that it's a bad idea to raise a tiger cub as a pet. The supporting cast is well-chosen, especially Jean Claude-Dreyfuss, who makes the French colonialist naïve and self-absorbed without making him revolting, and Mai Anh Le, who brings grace, subtlety, and beauty to her scenes with Pearce.
Nature.Two Brothers gives us a 109-minute vacation in the jungles of Cambodia and Thailand. He may not film the natural world with the poetry and awe-inspiring vision of Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line), but he knows better than to distract us from it with gratuitous effects. He knows the sunny glory of tigers, and he fills the screen with stripes, claws, fangs, and those mysterious golden eyes.
History.Two Brothers offers us an unusual window on rarely filmed corners of the world, recreating an interesting piece of history in which cultures mixed with nervous tension.
The two brothers, allgrown up
The themes. The importance of family relationships—brother to brother, father to son—are given plenty of proper attention in the stories of the cubs, young Raoul, and the Asian prince. McRory also learns a deeper respect for the histories and environments of other cultures, especially when those quiet reprimands come from the gorgeous Nai-Rea.
While these messages are clear, and although there is an afterword that impresses upon us just how rare (and indeed—endangered) these magisterial creatures have become, none of this is shoved down our throats. Annaud prods us to think about wildlife conservation and the plight of the environment, but he does so without sermonizing. He impresses upon us the value of the natural world by capturing its beauty and energy with the vivid cinematography of Jean Marie Dreujou (Man on the Train), who was bold enough to take on the great outdoors with new digital cameras. No annoying voiceovers, no animals breaking into maddening songs.
Responsible all-ages entertainment. You won't find a better all-ages show in the theatres. Please note that children and adults alike will find some chapters discomforting as the animal characters suffer mistreatment (without the actual animals themselves being harmed.) This is not a sanitized, sweet nothing of a movie. Rather than putting lessons in the mouths of talking animals, it shows us its lessons through pictures that are sometimes difficult to watch. In that, it's far more effective, more compelling, and more honest than the critter-character cartoons that kids are used to seeing.
This is about as cute as you can get
What it doesn't have. There isn't an assault of Two Brothers merchandising that your kids will want to run out and buy. There's no video game. The film's special effects are simple and undistracting, letting us focus on God's own special effects. The flow of the story is never interrupted by annoying singalongs. None of the characters have wisecracking sidekicks that make you wish you had a rifle. Best of all, Annaud does not feel the need to stuff the film with pop culture references or sexual references "to please the adults," but instead ensures that the story is well-told. After all, a story that is "just for kids" isn't a good enough story; the best children's stories remain rewarding for their parents as well.
Stars that know something about integrity. You won't be hearing about Kumal and Sangha in the grocery stand gossip papers. You won't see them in drug rehab or sex scandals, and as long as they're carefully handled, they won't be roughing up the paparazzi (hopefully). They also received appropriate salaries for their work. They're performers who know their place, and they're an example to Hollywood's elite.
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