In A Better World (2010/Sony Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture: B/C+ Sound: B/B- Extras: B Film: B+
Susanne
Bier has been a very successful filmmaker worldwide, yet despite winning two
Best Foreign Film Academy Awards, too few in the U.S. seem to know who she is. She made the original version of Brothers in 2004 (later remade with
Jake Gyllenhaal) as well as After The
Wedding and Things We Lost In The
Fire. A talented artist, In a Better World (2010) was one of
those Oscar winners and it might well be her best film yet. It is certainly an amazing one.
Also
called “The Revenge”, the film is
about two families with sons about the same age who befriend each other in
school. One named Elias (Juel Nielsen)
has his parents divorced, both who are doctors, but he is the target of
hateful, mean treatment at school. The
other son named Christian (William Johnk Nielson) is angry in advance and when
the group also targets him, he persuades the first victim to get revenge on the
head bully. They do to the shock of the
school, but this is not enough.
The
doctor/father doctor Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is traveling to Africa from Denmark
to help the poor and needy in a somewhat dangerous ‘doctors without borders’
type arrangement which has made his perspective uniquely grounded, including
when it comes to violence. He tries to
teach his sons how limited violence is, which is challenged one day when his
younger son gets into a fight with a child at a sandbox and he breaks it up. The father of the other child is an angry
jerk who accuses Anton of touching his child and slaps him a few times. Anton purposely does not swing back. Elias is unhappy and Christian suggests they
go after that man!
What
could have been a shallow revenge film is so much more and has much bigger
observations to make and things to say than I ever expected. It is a brave, sometimes brilliant film that
has something to say and reminds me of the kinds of important films Hollywood once made many,
many years ago. Bier may have hit a new
personal high and breakthrough as a filmmaker that is hopefully the beginning
of a golden period for her. The acting
is great, script top rate and I can see why this has had all the raves it has
as it more than deserves them.
In a Better World is great filmmaking anyone
serious about pure cinema must see!!!
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer was shot in 35mm film by Director
of Photography Morten Soborg, D.F.F., and it looks great throughout save some
minor instances of softness, some of which can be attributed to its style. The use of the scope frame puts so many such
films of late to shame it is not even funny and it even has some demo shots
serious home theater fans will want to see.
The anamorphically enhanced DVD is comparatively much weaker, though the
cinematography really needs Blu-ray to bring out how good this can really look.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Danish 5.1 lossless mix is dialogue based, but nicely
recorded and mixed throughout with a good, warm, consistent soundfield down to
ambient sound and fine music score by Johan Soderquist. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the DVD is good,
but not as rich as the Blu-ray’s mix.
Extras include
BD Live interactive functions, Deleted Scenes that all could have stayed in
(very rare these days), on camera interview with Director Bier and feature
length audio commentary track with Bier and the fine editor Pernille Bech
Christensen.
For more
on Bier’s films, try these links:
After The Wedding
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5646/After+The+Wedding+(2006)
Things We Lost In The Fire.
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6796/Things+We+Lost+In+The+Fire+(2007/
- Nicholas Sheffo
