In a Better World, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for 2010, was originally released in Denmark as Hævnen ("Revenge"). While it is not entirely clear why the title was changed for the film's American release, it is quite possible that Sony felt that "Revenge" would lead audiences to believe that the film is a thriller. Ironically, the original title gives a better description of the film, which questions whether violence is ever an effective and appropriate response to violence. There is no easy answer, and in the end director Susanne Bier leaves it to the viewer to answer for himself. The film is provocative, well-acted and beautifully photographed.
In a Better World
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Year: 2010
Rated: R
Program Length: 116 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 1080p
Languages: Danish DTS-HD 5.1 MA, French 2.0 DTS-HD MA
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
The Program
In a Better World, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for 2010, was originally released in Denmark as Hævnen ("Revenge"). While it is not entirely clear why the title was changed for the film's American release, it is quite possible that Sony felt that "Revenge" would lead audiences to believe that the film is a thriller. Ironically, the original title gives a better description of the film, which questions whether violence is ever an effective and appropriate response to violence. There is no easy answer, and in the end director Susanne Bier leaves it to the viewer to answer for himself. The film is provocative, well-acted and beautifully photographed.
Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a physician from Sweden who spends much of his time treating patients at a refugee camp in Kenya. He is married to Marianne, a Danish doctor, and they have two sons, Elias (Markus Rygaard) and Morten (Toke Lars Bjarke). Elias frequently is bullied at school, where he is disparagingly taunted as "Rat Face" because of his overbite. One day Elias meets Christian (William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen), a new student, and they immediately make a connection. At the end of the day we get a hint that Christian is not a typical student. The two boys discover that the bullies have removed the valves from the tires to Elias' bicycle. Elias has had this happen to him before and he prepares to walk his bicycle home. However, Christian convinces him that he should just take the valves from another bicycle, fill the tires with air and ride home. This leads to another confrontation with the bullies, and Christian gets a bloody nose when a ball is thrown at him.
Christian's mother recently died of cancer in London and he has moved to Copenhagen with his father, Claus. While the reasons are not immediately apparent, it is obvious that Christian and his father have a very strained relationship. Whenever Claus tries to have a meaningful discussion with Christian, his son refuses to engage with him. The next morning at school Elias is again confronted by his tormentors. When the lead bully who had thrown the ball at Christian follows Elias into the bathroom, Christian grabs his bicycle pump and goes in after them. He subjects the bully to a terrible beating and warns him that it will be much worse for him if he ever bothers the two new friends again.
The parents are called in, and Claus is baffled by his son's need to exact revenge upon the bully. "If you hit him, then he hits you, and it never ends," counsels Claus. "No one will dare hit me now," retorts Christian. When Anton returns to Copenhagen, it becomes clear that his marriage to Marianne is on the rocks. He had been unfaithful to her, and she cannot find it in her heart to forgive him. One day, when Anton takes the boys on a boating excursion, he gets into an argument with a burly mechanic who slaps Anton several times. Anton refuses to fight back. He explains to Elias that "You can't just go around beating people up. That doesn't solve anything. What kind of world would we have?"
However, back in Kenya Anton has to deal with a far more vicious form of bullying. Local pregnant women are being terrorized by a sadistic butcher known as Big Man (Odiege Matthew), and Anton frequently is called upon to save the lives of the victims. How should he respond? Can he justify turning the other cheek under such circumstances?
If there is one flaw in the film, it is that the scenes in Africa go on too long. They are beautifully shot, but it does not take long to get a grasp of the situation which faces Anton there (it should be noted that some of the scenes of medical treatment in Kenya are quite graphic). A bit less of Africa and more attention to the relationships between the boys and their parents would have made for a tighter, less meandering story line. Nevertheless, this is a highly thoughtful, effective film which explores a significant moral issue without becoming preachy about it.
The Video
The 2.35:1 1080p image is gorgeous, and some of the scenes in Africa are positively breathtaking. The Blu-ray transfer is consistently sharp and detailed, with excellent color fidelity. Close-ups are effectively used to convey the emotions of the characters, particularly in the case of the highly intelligent but very troubled Christian. Sony's transfer displays no evidence of excessive DNR, edge enhancement or other anomalies.
The Audio
The lossless 5.1 DTA-HD MA audio is superb in every respect. The soundtrack does an excellent job of capturing the sounds and feel of the windswept refugee camp in Kenya. Although primarily in Danish, the dialogue in Kenya is mostly in English, which is appropriate given Kenya's history as a British protectorate. The English dialogue is clear and understandable, and the English subtitles are easy to read when the conversations are in Danish. The film features a very effective musical score by composer Johan Söderqvist and it is given a pleasing soundstage.
The Supplements
This Blu-ray disc includes a modest but worthwhile collection of extras.
A commentary track by director Susanne Bier and editor Pernille Bech Christensen provides some interesting insights into the making of the film. A lengthy interview with the director makes it clear that she had no intention of making a "message" film. She is more interested in asking perplexing questions than in dictating answers. She speaks excellent English, by the way.
A series of seven deleted scenes is extremely interesting. A couple of the scenes are helpful in fleshing out the difficult relationship between Christian and his father.
The film's trailer is included, as are previews of Incendies; Midnight in Paris; Life, Above All; Take Shelter; and The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
The Packaging
Both the Blu-ray disc and the DVD are packaged in a standard-sized Blu-ray keep case.
The Final Analysis
In a Better World is a challenging film which questions whether it is ever appropriate to exact revenge after being wronged. The films is beautifully photographed and well-acted, but some viewers may find the way the film shifts from events in Denmark to action in Kenya to be unnecessarily distracting. Even so, the questions posted by this movie are thought-provoking and worthy of further discussion.
Equipment used for this review:
Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specification by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: August 30, 2011
