Review of In a Better World (2010) by Pedro O — 17 Apr 2011

The winner for Best Foreign Film at this past year's Academy Awards, "In a Better World" is a solid drama about two danish families who's paths intertwine as they deal with some tumultuous times.

One family involves a father trying to reconnect with his son Christian after the death of Christian's mother of cancer. The other family is that of a young, awkward kid Elias, as his parents go through a separation.

The story focuses on an unusual friendship between Christian and Elias, and the story also focuses a lot on Elias's dad Anton. Anton works as a triage doctor in an African village, and goes back and forth between there and home.

I actually found Anton's story the most compelling, and I wish that his character was truly the main focus. Instead the film ultimately is kinda an ensemble film and, because of the that, the story's overall message or theme is kinda muddled.

I know the film is trying to give a view about dealing with grief, personal adversity, and cruelty of bullying; but it lacks enough focus to fully deliver what could have been a powerful message. There are still some great performances, and some individual scenes and moments that work well, but overall I wish I just got more out of it as a whole.