| Brothers at War | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Jake Rademacher |
| Produced by | Norman S. Powell Jake Rademacher Gary Sinise (Executive Producer) David Scantling (Executive Producer) |
| Starring | Jake Rademacher CPT Isaac Rademacher SGT Joseph Rademacher |
| Music by | Lee Holdridge |
| Cinematography | Marc Miller Conor Colwell |
| Editing by | Robert DeMaio |
| Distributed by | Samuel Goldwyn Films |
| Release date(s) | March 13, 2009 |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Brothers at War is a 2009 documentary film directed by Jake Rademacher[1] and produced by Rademacher and Norman S. Powell.[2] The film follows several soldiers in the Iraq War. The film's executive producers are actor, director, and Presidential Citizens Medal holder Gary Sinise[3] and Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service holder David Scantling.[4] Brothers at War won the Best Documentary Feature Award at the 2008 GI Film Festival.[5] The film features an original score by Lee Holdridge and an original song--"Brothers in Arms"--by John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting.[6]
Contents |
Jake Rademacher states at the beginning of the film that he is setting out to understand the experience, sacrifice, and motivation of his two brothers serving in Iraq. As the film develops, however, it becomes clear that Jake's underlying motivation is to prove himself to his brothers, as well as to himself. Jake, who longed to join the military as a youth but was denied entry into West Point (which is never fully explained in the movie unfortunately), clearly feels the need for acceptance from his serving brothers. The film follows Jake’s experiences as he embeds with his brother Isaac in Iraq as well as other U.S. and Iraqi combat units. Rademacher goes along with reconnaissance troops on the Syrian border and into sniper "hide sites" in the Sunni Triangle. As Rademacher’s brothers return home, the film shows the toll separation and life-threatening work takes on soldiers’ parents, siblings, wives and children.[7]