Connie Nielsen, Brothers

Connie Nielsen, perhaps best known for playing Lucilla, the emperor's sister, in Gladiator, cheekily explains how she continues to look for women of substance in an industry with a dearth of roles for anyone who doesn't happen to be a man. That has led to her diverse work in thrillers (One Hour Photo), big-budget popcorn movies (Mission to Mars) and macho Hollywood (The Hunted and Basic). In the first-rate Brothers, she plays a wife caught between two siblings in a story of the "prisons" that encase us as individuals and as a society. Directed by one of Denmark's most popular filmmakers, Suzanne Bier, this is the very first time the Danish-born actress has starred in a Danish film.

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