Anton is often in Africa, and Claus is often in London. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 78% out of 122 professional critics gave the film a positive review, and an average rating of 7.11/10, with the site consensus stating that "In a Better World is a sumptuous melodrama that tackles some rather difficult existential and human themes." | Rating: 3/4 Her time is almost up. No more about the plot. Movie Tags:friendship divorce africa knife bully bullying hospital. |, July 13, 2016 What Susanne Bier does is cut between all of these stories to contrast the kinds of people who are instinctively cruel and those who are instinctively kind. Overall, this is a fine, ambitious, and interesting film until its pat conclusion. |. Rotten Tomatoes, home of the Tomatometer, is the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV. The performances are magnificent across the board and each character has a very well structured arc. Ulrich Thomsen and William Johnk Nielsen in In a Better World … Directed by Susanne Bier. In a Better World review. An intelligent and thoughtful approach towards challenging issues. She understands that an image can tell more than words, more than even 1,000. Elias is a cute kid with braces, and when he's picked on by the school bully, Christian defends him in a sudden and bloody way. | Rating: 3.5/4.0 Meanwhile, back in Africa, Anton's clinic receives an emergency patient: Big Man, with an ugly, festering leg wound. In A Better World has a young boy called Christian who has just lost his mother, return to Denmark. The cinematography captures the vast expanse of the African plains, the squalor of the refugee camp in Africa, and the insular nature of the Danish community where the boys live. Spike Lee Receives American Cinematheque Award, America Has to Come to a Reckoning: Director Sam Pollard on MLK/FBI, The TV Homages of WandaVision are an Amusing, Unfulfilling Distraction. And for audiences, […] Two boys attempt to define masculinity in response to their respective family dramas. Starring Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard, William Jøhnk Nielsen. |, January 8, 2019 Moore /PopcornReel.com FOLLOW Saturday, April 9, 2011 The sins of adults. After the death of the great (and real-life) movie trailer voiceover artist Don LaFontaine, the playing field is leveled. People are not intrinsically evil, argues Simon Baron-Cohen, but some lack the ability to identify with what others are feeling: "People who lack empathy see others as mere objects.". Jun 8, 2014. Everything about In a Better World feels just a little too easy: a better movie might have let in more of the messiness of the world as it is. In a Better World Movie Review In a Better World is a 2010 Danish thriller drama film directed by Susanne Bier and starring Mikael Persbrandt and Ulrich Thomsen . The theme of bullying may seem like something best saved for after school specials, but Bier shows bullying in all its forms, from the playground, to grown ups, to African warlords. Bier, when she allows herself, loves the peripheral as much as the portentous. A book by a Cambridge University scholar suggests that a lack of empathy is at the root of all cruelty. In a Better World: movie review ( R ) ( Monitor Movie Guide ) 'In a Better World' tackles tribal violence and high school bullying but packages it too neatly. Christian allows his anger to take hold, and events soon spiral out of control. In a Better World (2010) R 119 min - Drama - 26 August 2010 The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. But the film ultimately and happily is not an analysis of the convoluted subject of the whys and whens of violence. This 10-digit number is your confirmation number. 'In a Better World' tackles tribal violence and high school bullying but packages it too neatly. Bier's strength is storytelling and her ability to find actors to do those stories justice. Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor who travels frequently between his home in Denmark and a refugee camp in Africa. Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". In a Better World 2010, R, 113 min. Although uneven in its composition and sometimes unclear in its objectives until they are explained in the last 20 minutes, Hævnen is not one, but two messages of transcontinental value, one of personal decisions regarding moral, the other one of family distance in the presence of death and loss. 77/100. Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson See Horrors in 'Bird Box' Trailer. Christian, very inward, very intense, earlier defended Elias against the schoolyard bully and now devises a plan for them to gain revenge against Lars. … “In a Better World,” directed by the Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier and written by Anders Thomas Jensen, is an elegant, somber scourge for the guilty conscience of the affluent, liberal West. | Fresh (95) | Rating: 4/5 |, September 11, 2020 This Danish film is oddly both ambitious and contained. TIFF Movie Review: In a Better World (2010) In a Better World. It brings modern human themes into the deep, such as family, marriage, parental, friendship, death, morality and professionalism. Movie Review - 'In A Better World' - Melodrama, At Home And Abroad The Oscar-winning Danish film poses many an ethical dilemma in a tale involving … | Rating: 4/5, August 18, 2011 "In a Better World," which won this year's Academy Award for best foreign film, centers on two boys and their fathers. "In A Better World" is a rich melodrama, richer than any melodrama in recent memory. “In a Better World’’ is the latter kind, a lachrymose tale of woe, suffering, and moral relativism and the winner of this year’s foreign language Oscar. In a Better World traces elements from a drab refugee camp in Sudan to the gray humdrum of everyday life in a Danish provincial town. Sony Classics by Omar P.L. All Critics (122) | Rating: 4/5 This Danish film is oddly both ambitious and contained. IN A BETTER WORLD, the Foreign Language Oscar winner from Denmark, is a tale of bullying and revenge that says some profound things about the human condition. This film successfully mixing, … Preteens), July 9, 2018 endings while European art-house fare often ends in despair. In a Better World. The story is so well-written and the actors play just marvelous. In A Better World could honestly make the world a better place. Copyright © Fandango. The … Both families are in trouble and largely unaware of how badly the problems of the grownups have affected the children. Regal Don't have an account? To the North American viewer, Danish director Susanne Bier's films come as a revelation. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Photos + Posters; Cast + Crew; Friday, April 1, 2011; R, 1 hr 58 min Art House/Foreign; Drama; The two boys bond. Bier handles tricky emotional territory with great skill, creating a solid drama with the heart of a great thriller. and the Terms and Policies, You're almost there! The camera setting is some of the best i've seen in a long time. As if to. In a Better World Synopsis. |, August 18, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 In A Better World at first seems focused on the subject of violence and some of its undeniable truths, perhaps its inscrutability being the most undeniable of all. At Sundance 2011, Matt reviews Susanne Bier's In a Better World starring Mikael Persbrandt, and William Jøhnk Nielsen. What are parents' roles in preventing violence? The performances and strong direction make light of some clunky plot devices. Coming Soon. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy He joins a new school where he soon makes friends with a boy who is being bullied. Anton steps in, and Lars slaps him. With so much going on it would be easy for the film to trip over itself, but it never does. After a reckless act, however, things turn tragic. Susanne Bier is one of the greatest directors ever. 'IN A BETTER WORLD': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five) This Danish drama won Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards (as well as the 2011 Golden Globe). Intercut in this way, they seem too much like self-conscious parables. |, May 15, 2018 | Rotten (27), An attempt to grapple with the nuances of good and evil and examine the limitations of virtue in the face of pure emotion. Cinemark On the simplest, in a number of contexts, the movie looks at personal responsibility and choices - proaction, action, passivity. Best Netflix Shows and Series To Binge (January 2021), The 100 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (January 2021), 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime To Watch (January 2021). It deals with violence in Denmark among children when two ten year olds meet at school and form an … Although I doubt Susanne Bier knew of this book when she made "In a Better World," it plays like a demonstration of the same insight. The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. Either could have made a film. | Rating: 3/5 We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. R (Language|Disturbing Content Inv Preteen|Violent Content Inv. In a Better World on the Web:Official Website. I wished I liked it more. The outcomes of the parallel stories are unpredictable although they follow a certain logic. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Fight the power. Coming Soon. What does the title suggest? By Brad Brevet . Here it is a doctor who appears to work in an organization like doctors without borders. Where is the line between being a disciplinarian and being a child's friend? Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Directed by Susanne Bier. Lars is incapable of such a thing. Two boys set a course of retribution that yields tragic consequences. What examples do fathers and mothers provide their kids? |, January 26, 2018 It’s clear why it won that Oscar, though it’s not quite as good or powerful a drama as the previous winner from Japan, DEPARTURES. His domestic life is complicated by the fact that he and his wife, Marianne (Trine Dyrholm), are experiencing marital strife and his son, Elias (Markus Rygaard), is a victim of school bullying. Cinemark Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a divorced doctor … Starring Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Markus Rygaard and William Johnk Nielsen. |, August 19, 2011 Coming Soon. When a new boy, whose mother recently died, moves to town and befriends Elias, it provides solace for both father and son. Having already won the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the veteran director is still waiting for her film to debut in the United States. "Nobody will pick on me again," he explains. Read full review Despite it's heavy-handedness in the last act, Susanne Bier directs with fascinating awareness of her characters and with grace for the moments of compassion between two families trying to understand how humanity can be so merciless. Questioning anger, revenge, and human rights, makes this a multi-layered film which is just begging for discussion. | Rating: 3.5/4 Elias (Markus Rygaard) and Christian (William Johnk Nielsen) meet at the school where Christian has just transferred. These are ambitious ethical questions the plot brings up, but as a result of the film's reach philosophically, the plot starts to suffer when each of the film's conflicts resolve too conveniently. This one falls into cheap manipulation, winding up the audience with foreboding music and the spectacle of blond children in peril. Sign up here. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets Audience Reviews for In A Better World Jul 29, 2014 Two boys attempt to define masculinity in response to their respective family dramas. I admired Bier's "Things We Lost in the Fire" and her Danish and American versions of "Brothers," but here her method is too foregrounded. In a Better World Critic Reviews + Ratings Favorite Movie Button ... Movie Reviews; More. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. ON September 14, 2010. | Rating: B But the film ultimately and happily is not an analysis of the convoluted subject of the whys and whens of violence. singlehandedly reverse this trend, Danish director Susanne Bier in Coming Soon, Regal "In a Better World," which won this year's Academy Award for best foreign film, centers on two boys and their fathers. I highly recommend every one to go see this movie. REVIEWED By … There are two strong stories here, in Africa and Denmark. But, for all its good points, this film is a high-concept contrivance of the sort Bier turns out easily, and looks like a faintly preposterous cine-soap opera for haemophiliac-hearted liberals. It’s … The story of the boys works well (they're both good actors), and their fathers are well-drawn and seen with sympathy. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. | Top Critics (49) Forgot your password? The relevant message here regarding the families is that adult problems, mishandled priorities and break-ups are troubles destined to be transmitted to their children unless they are taken care of beforehand. Read Full Synopsis Cast + Crew Susanne Bier Director Mikael Persbrandt ... Movie Reviews Presented by Rotten Tomatoes. Tension builds as the pranks of the boys get more and more violent, until the explosive climax. His son is tormented at school and is befriended by another boy who is dealing with the recent death of his mother that he blames his father for either causing or hastening. All rights reserved. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Just confirm how you got your ticket. In parallel stories set in Denmark and Africa, it considers characters who act with cruelty and those who deliberately seek to act with empathy, and poses some moral choices for those who fall somewhere on the middle of the spectrum. We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future. Now pull back a step to their fathers. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. One day when Anton is home, he and Elias see a foul-tempered local man named Lars (Kim Bodnia) pushing around people who innocently offended him. True, no doubt. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. The African events in particular don't fit organically into the rest of the film, playing more like a contrived contrast. |, August 5, 2019 Elias' dad is Anton (Mikael Persbrandt), who commutes between Denmark and an unnamed African country where he operates a free medical clinic. Christian's dad is Claus (Ulrich Thomsen), whose wife has died of cancer and left Christian resenting his father. A well-acted if glibly configured statement about violence begetting violence on two continents. Its plot centers around only two families, one wracked by divorce, the other by death, but as the two male children of these families mature, we see that they're struggling with deep and difficult questions. The strongest points are solid performances by the entire cast, including the youngest actors, and a respectable cinematography, factors that gave some extra points and making it reach a 4-star score by a marginal difference. More Info. That in a better world there would not be such cruelty? The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. Despite I would have liked to see more tied loose ends, the final product still invites to reflection. Hollywood movies are regularly criticized for their tacked-on happy. Score:B Director:Susanne Bier Cast:Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen Running Time:113.00 Rated:R Susanne Bier is in a weird situation. Despite detours into sentiment and preaching, In a Better World is an emotional powerhouse. Her films deal with issues, but always with a fresh perspective. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. | Rating: B Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Thinking this over, Anton decides to set an example to his son, and takes him to Lars' auto shop for what is intended as a nonviolent confrontation. There's little flash or surprise in Bier's latest well-shot film, but plenty of substance. There are so many beautiful scenes from Denmark aswel in some African country. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Even the child actors, who often ruin most movies, were casted and performed perfectly. I am still thinking about 'In a Better World" some days after seeing the movie; its many different layers are still unravelling in my mind. Simple as that. In a Better World is a sumptuous melodrama that tackles some rather difficult existential and human themes. motivation, judgments. Many issues are dealt with, but because of the masterful work of Ms Biers, it never feels unfocused. There was a lot going on in this film, by a favorite director, Susanne Bier (After the Wedding), and as in that earlier film, one of the characters works among desperate native people in Africa. Featured News. To his care come victims of all sorts, including women savagely sliced by the powerful local Big Man (Evans Muthini). There's also an estranged mother who is drawn into the unhappiness. |, August 18, 2011 What constitutes "being a man?" In A Better World at first seems focused on the subject of violence and some of its undeniable truths, perhaps its inscrutability being the most undeniable of all. Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. The cast is terrific, the story ranges wide, but never feels out of control. Touching, inspirational, and quite possibly life changing. In a Better World – review 2 / 5 stars 2 out of 5 stars. As in those previous films, “In A Better World” uses the international community as part of its framework. Watch In A Better World movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com. ...the two child performances are the emotional lynchpin of the movie. No doubt the film's noble intentions appealed to the academy voters, but this seems to me the weakest of this year's five nominees. Susanne Bier's Oscar-winning drama means well, and ought to feel relevant, but there's just something lacking MOVIE REVIEW In A Better World (Hævnen) Seeking Refuge From Violence In A Violent World Markus Rygaard (left) as Elias and William Jøhnk Nielsen as Christian in Susanne Bier's Oscar-winning drama "In A Better World (Hævnen)". Elias (Markus Rygaard) and Christian (William Johnk Nielsen) meet at the school where Christian has just transferred. |, August 15, 2013 Dad is Claus ( Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard and William Johnk Nielsen Box trailer! Too neatly trustworthy by fellow moviegoers family dramas story is so well-written and the spectacle of blond in... 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Boy who is drawn into the rest of the movie looks at personal responsibility and choices -,! 2011 the sins of adults with, but never feels out of control say need. Us a message here and we will email you a new password very well structured.. In peril info, photos, movie review and more delivered right to your inbox do stories... Here and we will work on getting you verified there would not be such cruelty, parental, friendship death. Tribal violence and high school bullying but packages it too neatly Africa, and human rights makes... Who travels frequently between his home in Denmark and a refugee camp in Africa, women... The freshest reviews, news, and more on TVGuide.com the outcomes of the whys and whens of.!