Two Brothers

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Two Brothers' classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Two Brothers completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 14 November 2004.

Overall comments and recommendations

Two Brothers follows the story of two tiger cubs, Sangha and Kumal and their battle to survive their greatest enemy, man. Filmed on location at Angkor Wat over a period of three years, the cinematography is beautiful, however the acting isn't particularly strong. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud displays a great admiration for these majestic animals. Two Brothers has a strong conservation message and will appeal to all ages.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Two Brothers contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Sangha and Kumal are two tiger cubs born in the Cambodian jungle at Angkor Wat. One day while playing, Sangha is chased by a bandicoot and runs up a tree. He falls out of the tree injuring a paw. When hunters come to loot Angkor Wat, they see the tigers and shoot at them. Mother tiger picks up injured Sangha and escapes but the father is shot trying to protect Kumal. Kumal is rescued by the hunter who takes him back to the village. There the hunter is arrested and Kumal is sold to a circus where his keepers are rather cruel. Kumal languishes in his cage and it seems as though he might die but an old tiger, Caesar, who Kumal will replace, manages to raise his spirits.

Meanwhile Sangha and his mother are caught in a trap and let out for sport for the royal party. The Prince shoots at the mother but she doesn't die and manages to escape. Sangha is then taken home by the French Colonial Administrator and lovingly raised by his son Raoul. Raoul and Sangha become great friends until Sangha becomes too big for the house and causes much havoc everywhere he goes. Raoul's parents decide Sangha will have to leave much to Raoul's great disappointment. The Prince buys Sangha and he's kept chained in a dungeon with many other exotic creatures. However his main reason for obtaining Sangha was to watch him fight another tiger in an arena where they will fight to the death. A fierce, wild tiger is sought for the match and as it happens, it turns out to be Kumal. What follows is quite inspiring.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this film directed towards the tigers:

• the hunters shoot at the tigers – the father tiger is killed, the mother wounded.
• the circus owners whip Kumal and prod him with sticks to make him jump through the fiery hoop

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Some scenes in this film would disturb children in this age group:

• The tigers growl fiercely
• A bandicoot growls aggressively at the cubs
• Sangha falls out of the tree
• Hunting dogs chase the tigers
• Father tiger attacks a man who is about to shoot Kumal
• Father tiger is killed
• Body of Father tiger is carried on poles as is a wounded man
• Mother Tiger chases a truck carrying Kumal in a cage; she jumps on the truck but the driver swerves throwing her off.
• Villagers throw fire sticks at mother to scare her away.
• Kumal is very distressed and cries at being separated from his mother
• Caesar, the old tiger, attacks one of the circus owners
• Mother tiger falls into a trap – Sangha falls in too
• Mother gets shot at by hunters for sport but manages to escape
• Kumal is whipped and prodded to perform tricks
• Sangha is led on chains and tied up in dungeon
• Caesar attacks one of the circus trainers; he is restrained with whips and chains
• One of the tigers attacks a man through the fence
• Hunters set the jungle on fire to force Sangha and Kumal out; they jump through the fire.

Aged eight to thirteen

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children in this age group would not be scared by this movie but they could still be disturbed by the treatment of the tigers.

Over the age of thirteen

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children in this age group would not be scared by this movie.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in this movie

Nudity and sexual activity

The tigers mate.

Use of substances

There is no substance use in this movie.

Coarse language

There is no coarse language in this movie.

The movie's message

The message of this movie is one of conservation and protection of beautiful, endangered animals.

Values parents may wish to encourage include:

• an understanding and knowledge of why wild animals behave aggressively when they are threatened
• acceptance of all living creatures.