Apres la noce

This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long while. I am lucky that I was able to see it at a screening, and I will certainly look out for other movies from the director and writer.

It starts off low key and you're not sure where it is going to go. Then things get very intense dramatically. In a lesser movie this would be near the end, but in this movie it is just the beginning. At times it gets emotional with very excellent acting. The plot keeps changing in unpredictable ways, and who the plot is revolving around keeps changing also. Really well designed story and well directed production.

Apparently it is on the verge of release in the US. The version I saw in a US screening was subtitled (one of the forum posters asked if it would be dubbed).

I knew nothing about this film before going to see it except that it was Oscar nominated and starred Bond's 'Casino Royale' foe Mads Mikkelsen. But I'd heard good things and despite it being a day so sunny in April that you should really spend it in the park I ventured into the dark cinema. All I can say is that I am so, so glad I did as this has to be one of the best films I have seen this year. Jacob (Mikkelsen) runs an orphanage/school in India that due to funding will have to close if they don't do something quickly, cue a phone call from Denmark where a millionaire is looking to invest some money in a good cause and Jacob has no choice but to go home and try to win over the mystery funder. Cut to Copenhagen and the very rich living of Jorgen and his family, a self-made millionaire Jorgen is preparing for the Wedding of his daughter and as his family gather round the mansion we see that he has a pretty good life. Cut back to Jacob who after living in squalid conditions in India for so long is struggling to understand the swish hotel he's been booked in for his visit. When the two meet to discuss the investment Jacob is over enthusiastic but Jorgen is nonchalant and pre-occupied with the weekends approaching festivities, so much so he decides to conclude the deal on Monday and seeing as Jacob is here on his invitation with nothing to do all weekend he decides to ask him to attend the wedding. So far so seemingly normal. It is at this point that the film takes some dramatic turns and through a series of unexpected events, a few skeletons in closets, the past and emotive performances, becomes a really deep and moving piece of cinema. I don't want to spoil it by saying anymore about it except it's nothing short of brilliant. I haven't seen a film for ages that deals with such negative and positive issues with such compassion and integrity without being hammy or over the top. The direction is flawless, the music is fitting and the cinematography is almost dogma in style but with a certain crispness to it. The performances are outstanding and it's not hard to see why it was Oscar nominated and won countless awards. The way the script is superbly written it reminded of 'Secrets and Lies' by Mike Leigh in the way it captures humans acting realistically in real situations. By the time the film starts to conclude the tissues were coming out to wipe away the tears of sadness and joy, which is a very powerful position to be in for any film, and the audience left the auditorium into bright sunshine glad like me that they'd had chance to see this amazing piece of cinema.

If you are looking for a movie that confirms preconceived notions, don't go to this one. Rather than trotting out a character as a rooting interest in the second or third scene, the film presents four individuals who are definitely worthy of your interest and compassion.

The two men in this drama, Jacob and Jorgen, are each powerful in their own ways. Jacob in the power of his convictions, Jorgen in the power of money and commerce. The two women, Helene and Anne, and the decisions they make, are the characters that move the story and set up the very real personal tragedies that ultimately unfold. Rather than a recanting of the general plot, my recommendation is to go into this movie as cold as you can. There are twists to be resolved and lives to learn about -- they are not aided by hearing about them beforehand.

There are no special effects, no flashbacks, no grainy images, and resolution is provided without the use of gun-play. (When was the last time you saw a movie that didn't have a gun figuring in the outcome.) Like real life, it takes a while to learn who the characters are and confirm that first impressions may (or may not) be correct. The pacing of the movie seems to be a primary criticism on the message boards but it seemed to move at a breakneck pace to me. I was very sorry to see it end.

This is a human drama that the "old" Hollywood once made by the boatload. Highly recommended.

As may be expected of Susanne Bier, and as may be expected of Scandinavian films in general if you ask me, this film is really great. The acting is so good it's hard to call it acting. Mads Mikkelsen (Jacob) puts up a terrific performance with acting that is as credible as it is subtle. Not the over-the-top stuff that we are familiar with from Hollywood, but acting that actually makes you think "yes, this is how real flesh and blood people would react". I was also pleasantly surprised by Sidse Babett Knudsen (Helene). She has a lot of scenes with little or no dialog, but the way she tells everything with subtle face expression is simply mind blowing. And let's not forget Rolf Lassgård (Jörgen) and Stine Fisher Christensen (Anne), who both remind us what real flesh and blood emotions look like in a way that really hits you in the face.

Anyway, I'm a fan of Scandinavian films for reasons mentioned above, and I'm almost ashamed to say that in that light this film was really nothing new, and luckily so: just more of the same wonderful stuff! What really stuck with me about this film however is the story. It is so ...human in all aspects. I won't reveal any spoilers, but as the story unfolds, it just gets so much more complex than you expect at first. In the first 15 minutes, I expected the movie was mainly going to be about the struggle between Jörgen and Jacob. The struggle between these two "stereotypes" really... one being the cool business man who solves everything with money, and the other being the idealistic but clumsy social worker. I was pleasantly surprised however that it got even better after that. What I mainly like about the movie, is that it doesn't offer any simple solutions. In the end, there are no perfect happy endings that solve every puzzle; the main characters have to make decisions, but it's not all black and white like we see in a lot of other movies. People have to do things they might not have done initially, but in the end, there may be upsides as well. You know... that sounds an awful lot like real life, and that's a good thing for a film if you ask me.

In a very poor area of India, the altruist Danish Jacob Pederson (Mads Mikkelsen) teaches and nurses children in an orphanage and has raised the eight year old Pramod since he was a foster baby. When Jacob is invited to travel to Copenhagen to meet the wealthy businessman Jørgen Lennart Hannson (Rolf Lassgård) that intends to donate a large amount to the orphanage, the reluctant Jacob is convinced by the director Mrs. Shaw (Meenal Patel) that he must travel for the good of the children, and he promises to Pramod to be back on his birthday on the next week. Jacob has a meeting with the self-made tycoon that promises a donation of one million-dollar and is invited to go to the wedding of his daughter Anna Hannson (Stine Fischer Christensen) on the next day. In the wedding, Jacob sees Jørgen's wife Helene Hannson (Sidse Babett Knudsen), who had a past with him, and discovers a family secret that will affect his and the Hannson's lives.

"Efter Brylluppet" is an intense and engaging family drama. The beginning (and the end) of this movie discloses the poor conditions of people in India and gives the false idea that the plot would be about the social differences between India and Denmark. Then there is a twist in the unpredictable story focusing serendipity and the personal dramas with many other discoveries of the lead characters and the masterminded plan of the clever Jørgen. All the characters are believable and human supported by magnificent direction of Susanne Blier that plays the emotions and feelings of the viewers; an awesome screenplay and top-notch performances. Sidse Babett Knudsen and Stine Fischer Christensen are very beautiful women and I really loved this feature. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Depois do Casamento" ("After the Wedding")