Review of In a Better World (2010) by Maksim B — 19 Feb 2012

An absorbing drama and a coming-of-age story, In a Better World is an exquisite Danish delivery, which stuns with its open ethical issues, human touch and gripping exploration of the children's world. Combining terrific performances with enough material to provoke, this movie is well-crafted study on violence and justice.

The story jumps between Africa and Denmark, where a doctor (Mikael Persbrandt) faces identical moral dilemmas amidst a world of violence, bullying and aggression. The focus is mostly on the story in Denmark, where Persbrandt's son Elias (Markus Rygaard) finds an escape from being bullied every day, by becoming a friend with a newly arrived student. From this moment, in a series of realistic events, the audience is introduced to the escalation of violence in the search of raw justice, the moral dilemmas coming with it and the consequences of it.

This is where the movie turns into a real drama with a provoking message. How far could we go in the search of own justice, how long could we be silent to the acts of aggression and bullying. All these issues are questioned by the performances of the two kids Elias and Christian. By revealing the chlildren's world and their black or white perception of grief, justice, guilt and self-preservation, director Susanne Bier creates a down-to-earth European drama.

In a Better World fails to give the answers which the audience expects and never gets as sharp as some would have expected, but still its Oscar-winning formula worked and it received the Best Foreign Language Award. I am not convinced that it really deserved it, but that aside, In a Better World is a must-see movie for those who enjoy dark and provoking European dramas.