? An orphanage
manager (Mads Mikkelsen) reluctantly leaves Bombay to return to his native
Denmark to make a funding pitch to a wealthy businessman. An offhand invitation
to the wedding of the businessman’s daughter leads to an unexpected reunion
with consequences for both men, as well as for the businessman’s wife and children.
Directed by Susanne Bier (Brothers, Open Hearts).
+ The well-crafted screenplay has two significant surprises
that have stunning consequences. In the businessman we see both how wealth is
used for power and the limits of that power. His actions create an unexpected
moral dilemma for the other man. Mikkelsen, who played the villain Le Chiffre
in Casino Royale, shows his versatility, and the rest of the cast is
equally strong. I especially liked Rolf Lassgård as the rich man whose actions
leave the most room for different interpretations, and whom we see as imperious
CEO, doting father, angry drunk, and more.
- I think I’d have
liked there to be another scene in the movie where I found out more about what
the other characters think about the aforementioned moral dilemma. Bier’s
frequent use of extreme close-ups is occasionally distracting.
= ***1/2 Whether you
like good plot twists, morality plays, or just good character dramas, this is a
winner that deserved its nomination for Best Foreign Language film.
