Once Brothers

2010Movie1 h 19 min

81
GreatGoodWatch score

A deeply moving, tense documentary movie about history and sports, with standout characters.

Good for family movie night · friends night · teens

Skip it if you want something to laugh at

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Not for laughs, scares or warmth.

Movies with

Story

Dreams brought them together. Reality tore them apart.

Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac were two friends who grew up together sharing the common bond of basketball. Together, they lifted the Yugoslavian National team to unimaginable heights. After conquering Europe, they both went to USA where they became the first two foreign players to attain NBA stardom. But with the fall of the Soviet Union on Christmas Day 1991, Yugoslavia split up. A war broke out between Petrovic's Croatia and Divac's Serbia. Long buried ethnic tensions surfaced. And these two men, once brothers, were now on opposite sides of a deadly civil war. As Petrovic and Divac continued to face each other on the basketball courts of the NBA, no words passed between the two. Then, on the fateful night of June 7, 1993, Drazen Petrovic was killed in an auto accident. This film will tell the gripping tale of these men, how circumstances beyond their control tore them apart, and whether Divac has ever come to terms with the death of a friend before they had a chance to reconcile.

Feels like

  • Emotional Sports Documentary
  • Tragic Friendship Story
  • Yugoslav Wars Context
  • NBA Legends
  • Identity & Loyalty
  • Unresolved Conflict
  • Historical Sports Drama
  • Character-Driven Narrative
  • Thought-Provoking
  • Geopolitical Impact

Cast

Crew

Directed by
Michael Tolajian
Produced by
Daniel Silver
Music by
Joel Goodman

Everyone

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Facts

October 12, 2010 · 1 h 19 min · Documentary

Released
October 12, 2010
Runtime
1 h 19 min
Genres
Documentary
Original language
English
Also spoken
Croatian, Serbian
Made in
United States
Available in
10 countries

Q&A

4 questions, like "Where can I stream Once Brothers?"

Questions about Once Brothers

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Once Brothers?

In the United States, Once Brothers streams on Netflix. It also streams in 9 other countries.

Is Once Brothers worth watching?

81
GreatGoodWatch score

Yes, it's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 81 (IMDb 8.5).

Is Once Brothers okay for kids?

Yes: the viewing guide lists it for family nights.

Is Once Brothers plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on character depth (9 of 10) and pathos (9 of 10) more than on its plot.