Brothers After War 2025 Movie Review Trailer Poster

 BROTHERS AT WAR is an interesting documentary with a dramatic plot about filmmaker Jake Rademacher. Jake travels to Iraq to find out why his brother Isaac and brother Joe are fighting. Surprisingly, he gets caught up in four combat units and experiences the boredom and horrors of war. He also experiences the appreciation of the Iraqi people and his eyes are opened to the film's message: that freedom is not free.

There is much to praise in this film. It doesn't take a very pro-Iraqi war stance, but it allows Jake's interactions with the soldiers and Iraqis to build the case for US involvement. Jake starts out cynical and distant from his brothers, but goes through a tremendous character arc that leads to empathy and understanding. This is the kind of film we can't help but recommend for young and older adults. There is some bloody violence and shots of dead bodies, but it is very minimal. However, what pushes the film into the extreme caution category is the abundance of foul language, much of which is a “f” word. The torrent of obscenities limits the audience to adults.

Director: Jake Rademacher
Writer: David Paluck
Stars: Jake Rademacher, Isaac Rademacher, Joe Rademacher

A very strong patriotic moral view of the world with strong positive Christian references; 98 obscenities (including many “f” words) and three profanities, plus a man urinating in a bottle and another digging a hole to defecate; a few shots of wounded soldiers and dead bodies; no sex; brief male upper body nudity; brief alcohol consumption; brief smoking; and nothing else objectionable.

BROTHERS AT WAR is an interesting documentary with a dramatic story about filmmaker Jake Rademacher. Jake travels to Iraq to find out why his brother Isaac and brother Joe are fighting. Surprisingly, he is embedded in four combat units and experiences the boredom and horrors of war. He also experiences appreciation for the Iraqi people, and his eyes are opened to the film's message: that freedom is not free.

The Rademachers are a typically American family with seven children, five boys and two girls. They have a very strong Christian faith and are devastated when one of their sons, who is bipolar, overdoses on medication. Joe and Isaac, who go to war, are very bright and attractive. Jake, who came to Hollywood to become an actor, did not make it to West Point.

There is much to praise in this film. Wisely, the filmmakers do not take a very pro-Iraqi war stance, but instead allow Jake's interactions with the soldiers and the Iraqis to build the argument for U.S. involvement. Jake starts out cynical and distant from his brothers, but goes through a tremendous character arc that leads to empathy and understanding. This is the kind of movie that would like to, but cannot, recommend for older children. There is some gory violence and shots of dead bodies, but it is very minimal. What pushes the film into the R-rated, extreme caution category, however, is the abundance of foul language, much of which is the “f” word. You expect the soldiers to use vulgar language, but the flow of obscenities limits the audience, let alone would have been much more powerful. At one point, the use of the “f” word is so frequent, with so many people talking over each other, that it is difficult to determine how many are said.

It is difficult for a documentary to capture and hold an audience for a feature-length film. Jake has done exactly that by structuring the film around his conversion from cynicism to support. The film has very few moments that falter. Many moments are very intense.

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