My Brother's War


My Brother's War is a 1997 American film directed by and starring James Brolin.
It was filmed in Ireland for Concorde Anois.

Plot

In Northern Ireland, brothers Gerry and Liam are members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In the wake of the peace process, Gerry wants to follow ethical principles, while Liam knows no limits; this leads them to a divide and Liam forms a splinter group. A CIA agent and the support of Mary will force Gerry to stop his brother.

Cast

The film was shot in Ireland. Brolin was visited during filming by his then girlfriend Barbra Streisand.
"I really wanted to support Jim, because I knew how difficult it was to direct a movie that you're in," Streisand said. "I had been with men who were not so supportive when I was doing a movie. So I really wanted to give him what I felt I didn't get. I would get up at 5 and give him breakfast and help him through that ordeal. It was just a very loving intimate experience to live in a house with a thatched roof."

Reception

In his book The IRA on Film and Television: A History, Mark Connelly cites the film as one of the films featuring the IRA that presents its acts as belonging to a "splinter" group at odds with the "official" IRA in an attempt to avoid political commentary, which Connelly argues "grant a cloak of legitimacy to the IRA by blaming violence and extremism on lone malcontents."

Awards

The film was named Best Feature Film with a budget over $1 million at the 1997 Hollywood Film Festival.