If you're an anti-semite, this is not a film for you as it's only Jews in the leading roles. If not, take a look. On the other hand one must ask oneself whether or not this film depicts a Jewish family in a positive way or not. I don't think so. It's more an Italian family structure where 'La Mama' is in the center and where the solidarity among the family members is stronger than honesty and impartiality.
In a Jewish community in France we meet the Hayoun family, consisting of five brothers: Dan (Patrick Bruel), Johathan (Pascal Elbé), Michael (Mathieu Delarive), Julien (Eric Caravaca) and David (Vincent Elbaz), gathering around their mother Suzy (Françoise Fabian), recently having become a widow.
At first the younger brother David is not present and this because he is in great danger and having problems with a group of criminal Romanis from Marseille. He has been cut of from the family since he began his life as a 'thug' but now he is in need of their support.
Of course he turns up at this very critical moment after his father's death.
Tensions surface and at first, the brothers reject him but after a while, the 'brotherhood' becomes stronger than the divergences between them. Unfortunately blood is too often thicker than water.
They all gather to help saving the 'honour' of their brother - if he has any.
This is a film combining some parts of, not least, 'Rocco e i suoi fratelli' ('Rocco and his Brothers'), in combination with the gangster themes of 'The Godfather' and 'Once upon a Time in America' and other similar films, digging into the psychology of 'The Family', without using psychoanalysis.
It's a habile film, but the plot within the story is very thin and the goal is the Finale Grande with a shoot out, something we know already from the beginning.
It also makes clear the danger of too strong family bonds, as it tends to darken veracity and estrange people from seeking the truth about events where family members are involved.
Personally we both agree on the fact that blood is not and should not be thicker than water.
In a Jewish community in France we meet the Hayoun family, consisting of five brothers: Dan (Patrick Bruel), Johathan (Pascal Elbé), Michael (Mathieu Delarive), Julien (Eric Caravaca) and David (Vincent Elbaz), gathering around their mother Suzy (Françoise Fabian), recently having become a widow.
At first the younger brother David is not present and this because he is in great danger and having problems with a group of criminal Romanis from Marseille. He has been cut of from the family since he began his life as a 'thug' but now he is in need of their support.
Of course he turns up at this very critical moment after his father's death.
Tensions surface and at first, the brothers reject him but after a while, the 'brotherhood' becomes stronger than the divergences between them. Unfortunately blood is too often thicker than water.
They all gather to help saving the 'honour' of their brother - if he has any.
This is a film combining some parts of, not least, 'Rocco e i suoi fratelli' ('Rocco and his Brothers'), in combination with the gangster themes of 'The Godfather' and 'Once upon a Time in America' and other similar films, digging into the psychology of 'The Family', without using psychoanalysis.
It's a habile film, but the plot within the story is very thin and the goal is the Finale Grande with a shoot out, something we know already from the beginning.
It also makes clear the danger of too strong family bonds, as it tends to darken veracity and estrange people from seeking the truth about events where family members are involved.
Personally we both agree on the fact that blood is not and should not be thicker than water.
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