In a Better World (2010)
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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. It’s a phenomenal film that deserved its Oscar win.
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“If you hit them hard enough the first time,
they won’t dare to hit you again“
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Anton is a doctor who travels frequently between his home in Denmark and a refugee camp in Africa. His domestic life is complicated by the fact that he and his wife, Marianne are experiencing marital strife and his son, Elias is a victim of school bullying. When a new boy, whose mother recently died, moves to town and befriends Elias, it provides solace for both father and son. After a reckless act, however, things turn tragic.
This film is very sophisticated in that it has a lot to say about violence, pacifism and the escalation of violence. It shows how quickly both children and adults can feel threatened by the injustice committed upon them and their family, and how they can turn violent in their revenge. The movie also showcases how pacifism sometimes isn’t the answer, especially when dealing with these horribly boorish people.
It truly gets how school life in particular is pretty much like animal packs work – the strongest, or at least those playing as strongest, have the best chance at getting through smoothly. The conflict between father and son, and how the father himself doesn’t resort to violence is fantastic, and I personally really related to that particular conflict the most here.
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The main problem with the film is that segment in Africa. It’s actually very good as it again deals with the darkness in humans, and how some honestly are not to be forgiven or treated humanely. However, it was put into the film rather hastily and the result is a bit of an odd structure that led to the film feeling way too ambitious. It succeeds somewhat in its aspirations, but certainly not fully, and that problem only arose for me personally upon a repeat viewing.
The film is phenomenally developed in its characters, all of whom are grounded in reality and all relatable in some way. The central romance is phenomenal and ultimately moving, but the very core pieces are the kids. Their friendship is wonderful and it serves as the most human, most beautiful thing in this otherwise very dark, depressing film.
Again, the relationships between fathers and sons are the standout aspect to this film as they are so complex. The same praise should most definitely go to the actors, all delivering terrific work. The standouts are Mikael Persbrandt and Ulrich Thomsen, both killing it in their fantastic roles. But the kids themselves are revelations how natural and believable they are.
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In a Better World is mostly well paced, though again problematically structured. I did love the dialogue as some conversations are stellar and thought-provoking. The picture is also quite emotional and quite exhilarating at times, really providing its thrills. It’s very much a strong thriller as it is a great drama. Susanne Bier’s direction is excellent. Thus, it entirely deserved its Oscar win despite a stacked slate, and it is in my opinion one of the best films of the 2010 year. It’s one of the better Danish pictures as well.
In a Better World is overly ambitious without a doubt, but it mostly fulfilled its lofty aspirations, most especially in fantastic dialogue, amazing performances across the board and very well portrayed, realistic conflicts between the characters. It deals with some very important issues, it’s superbly directed by Susanne Bier and consistently dark, thrilling and engaging. As a result, it’s undoubtedly one of the best Oscar winners in the foreign category.
