Review of In a Better World (2010) by Ola G — 16 Jul 2011

Anton (Michael Persbrandt) is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne (Trine Dyrholm), who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus (Ulrich Thomsen). Christian's mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy.

So I have finally seen Susanne Bier´s Academy Award winner "Hämnden" and I would say that the Oscar was well earned. Bier has managed to structure a movie that engage the viewer emotionally from frame one. She handles topics such as revenge, pacifism, bullism, poverty, love, death etc with a firm hand and she never lets the movie adapt a preaching setup. The acting is topnotch from all involved and all actors bring life to their characters. The photography is of high class and I do enjoy the kind of classic Bier close up structure. Don´t miss out on this one.