Review of In a Better World (2010) by Ray H — 27 May 2011
A very good film. It is an examination of bullies and violence. The story was compelling and held my interest. There are many layers to the story. There is a lot of material to mull over.
We are told the original Danish title of the movie, HAEVNEN, which translates as THE REVENGE. Probably marketing played into the altered English title we find here. There is a revenge theme in the movie.
All of the actors were very good. Two of the major characters, the school boys, Christian (William Nielson) and Elias (Markus Rygaard), are outstanding.
There are parallel stories in Denmark and Africa. Some of the scenery in Denmark is very beautiful. There are school yard bullies and adult bullies. There is a courageous adult pacifist and other, more direct responses to the bully violence.
Luckily, the pc police do not show up, giving us apologies/sympathetic explanations for why the bullies became bullies. There is evil in the world that transcends any logical explanation. We occasionally find that we have to deal with it.
Some prof reviewers complained about how the plot played out; especially the end. It seemed reasonable to me.
This review of In a Better World (2010) was written by Ray H on 27 May 2011.
In a Better World has generally received very positive reviews.
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