30 for 30: Once Brothers (2010)
**** (out of 4)
Here we have yet another incredibly strong entry in ESPN's 30 FOR 30 series. This one here takes a look at the friendship between Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic as the two quickly rose to fame playing for the Yugoslovian National Team. They would eventually win a silver medal during the Olympics and both men would find their way to the NBA but their friendship would crumble after a war broke out in their country. During a national game Divac ended up doing something that would haunt him for the rest of his life and Petrovic would end up getting killed in a car wreck before the two could make up. It's funny but I've become a major fan of this series and most often the ones I'm worried about end up being some of the best episodes. That's certainly the case here because ONCE BROTHERS is a heartbreaking look at what war can do to someone and it also shows how precious moments can be lost in the matter of seconds and how one could end up going through life regretting something and not being able to make up with that one person close to you. The story of these two men was a very interesting one but the most fascinating stuff deals with the war and how it ripped them apart. Not only do you see the bloody battle that was going on in the country but you also realize what it could do to people living thousands of miles away. I thought the film did a wonderful job at showing the struggles the men were going through and this includes pressure put on them by their friends. Divac would end up having a very long career in the NBA but his friend would be killed just as he was starting to show his talent. The twists and turns in their story is something you'd laugh at or call unbelievable if you saw it in a movie but the final moments of this thing are incredibly touching even if they might have been set up. Either way, ONCE BROTHERS says a lot about friendship and, as Divac put it, the years it takes to build a friendship and the seconds it takes to destroy it.