In a Better World

One of Bier's best films, if not her best. A flawed film to which the Academy took a liking, not surprisingly considering its topical elements, and it's not without merits. Persbrandt is great, as always; Thomsen solid, as usual. The kids are very good, Jøhnk Nielsen especially. The performances reach pitches of high melodrama not unlike those in 'After the Wedding', which is fine if you're into that sort of thing. Bier's exploration of old-hat themes reeks of self-importance, though.

Bier and Jensen fall into the same pit they did in Brothers, where they intertwine a good dramatic story in war torn somewhere, with a dull underdeveloped drama in rural Denmark. In this it's particularly annoying because Persbrandt's storyline is both moving and thematically interesting. I like the juxtaposition of Africa (chaos) with Denmark (civilization) and I appreciate the deconstruction of "Revenge", but as a whole the movie feels too scattershot to be truly poignant.

Vengence and self preservation is explored in the lives of two young boys who are bullied. Their retaliations extends to the perceived enemies of their parents. In Africa, a sadistic and brutal local gang leader needs aid from the doctor who has been tending to the victims of his atrocities. The doctor's deep beliefs in non-violence is tested when confronted with the man's savage attitude. Mikael Persbrandt was awesome. Good performances & generally an interesting and engaging story.

This is a thought-provoking, suspenseful film about ethical choices and their consequences. It also is a film about the permeable limits of non-violence, about friendship, courage and empathy, and about the fact that compassionate, peace-loving people sometimes come into conflict with bullies and with men who are violent and cruel. How should one act in such circumstances? There are no easy answers, but at least In a Better World asks the right questions.

Great handywork from Bier, but it never peaks... Feels like she's telling the same story she has done a couple of times before and I would personally have loved to leave out the Denmark part in order to see more of Persbrandts dilemma's in Africa. With that said, the kids does a great job and the cinematography is very good, but as a film Hævnen fails, but only by inches, when its reaching out to touch us. The Oscar should have gone to Kynodontas!

The movie tries to show the different conflicts that exists in our world. The director tries to contrast the life in Africa and the developed Denmark but fails to make the connection. The movie has some really beautiful scenes. The story moves maintains the pace. The acting by the cast is good, apart from that it was not as good as I expected it to be.

"Without its patronizing third-world sequences, In a Better World would have only been a somber, self-serious film about the ethics of violence; with them, it becomes a politically arrogant one." - Ed Gonzalez

a deeply emotional masterpiece...movie-making at its best; great story, clever script, beautiful color palette/photography, lovely acting (the child actors are simply amazing)... Apart from the story itself, the contrast between Kenya and Denmark gives the movie a whole other depth.

Jensen brings us another story questioning morals and Bier does a hell of a job putting it on screen. It's interesting how everything is happening really fast, but nothing seems rushed.

Susanne Bier returns to her homeland with a strong drama of two families, tied together through a friendship that will inevitably lead to tragedy. The central themes are handled well, albeit the screenwriting lacks punch at times.

Well-made exposition on bullying in schools and between adults in peace and war. Fairly easy to see where it's going, and tapers anticlimactically to an ambiguous ending.

ilk yarısı çok daha iyi

So many clichés, I just couldn't swallow it after a while. Christian in particular is a hideous mess of them: Kids These Days, Innernet and Vidya Games; Dead Mother-Induced Psychopathy; Mental Illness Cured by Hugs. The way everything is wrapped up in a neat little package at the end was probably the worst part. I was practically gagging by then.

En historia om rätt och fel och moraliska dilemman. Riktigt hur nån kan hävda att den är oprententiös förstår jag inte, men det behöver inte heller vara fel att vilja säga nånting viktigt. Dock tycker jag att den är lite obestämd och vag i kanten. Det är skönt att för en gångs skulle se en Persbrand som inte spelar Persbrand (dvs Börje Ahlstedt) och det är tur det, en mer nedtonad (och bättre) skådis än Ulrich Thomsen finns ju knappt. Fyn där filmen spelats in verkar vara o

A reasonable enough film about a dangerous friendship with some strong acting performances especially Persbrandt.Not exactly sure what Bier is reaching for with the juxtaposition between the unnamed African country & 'civilised' Denmark

It is as good as Zvyagintsev' s father and sons relationship film. Very good job.

Wow, what can I say? Very powerful film with great acting pretty much across the board and accompanied by a nice soundtrack. The story feels believable which is quite something because often family dramas come across as forced. Very well written. It asks many difficult ethical questions without answering them, instead leaving it up to the viewer to decide and let the characters deal with them in their own way. The change of setting between Africa and Denmark gave a whole new dimension. Watch it!

Presumably this tale about violence tries to establish two parralels across divisions between adults and kids and first world and second world, to show and contrast them with the respective similarity of dealing with bullies and relational hardships. In addition, these two parralels are interconnected to what as stated above is its vision on violence and in what circumstances it is a just means, but these messages of only moderate interest are filled in with too much standard hokey crap.

(2nd viewing)

If you can get past the made-up language, a realistic, though maybe not exactly groundbreaking drama. The performances are all excellent, especially by the kids. It might be intentional, but the scenes in Sudan feel too barren and could have had a bit more flesh around them. What's interesting is that Anton's problems, both home and abroad, are indirectly caused by him, yet neither can be effectively solved without the help of others.

The movie goes through difficult relationships of people in their families, cities, world

Turns out racism and socioeconomic problems exist elsewhere in the world.

A very moving and emotional picture where the characters are in control of where the story is going, not the other way around. It delivers a simple message about love and understanding in a heavy way but with very few settings and even fewer resources. The acting talent, especially from the child actors, is top notch and that really helps the movie that, despite all the positives, does have its dull moments here and there. However, still deserves of the Oscar victory and all the praise it gets.

The movie communicates a very heavy-handed message without attempting to shove its point down the viewers throat. In some way it's more reserved and just lets the plot unfold, which is great. The actors are really good, the script is clever and the way the movie manages to mix various ethics and ways of life provides the suspense that keeps you following it closely, ending in a well thought-out climax. I was almost fearing a deux ex machina, so it was nice that it didn't take the easy way out.

Bier deals with male issues of the ethics of turning the other cheek when faced with real or imagined evil. I wonder why they chose "in a better world" for the English title when the literal translation is "vengeance" which is in fact the subject of the film.

A pacifist doctor dealing with deadly violence in Africa deals with agression and passivity at home with his family. His deeply ethical person turns violence into peace.

It's very heavy-handed, but it's also very interesting in the way it touches themes of love and violence. It might be obvious and didactic, but packs an emotional punch and leaves many questions unanswered for the viewer to draw his conclusions.

siddet, cocuklar, okulda siddet, doktor, afrika, danimarka, bomba, bomba yapmak, ayrilik, kanser (sonunda tempo biraz düssede muhtesem bir film)

Oooohhh, look at me(bier). I Communicate with really big LETTERS, so no one is left behind if want to make some sort of irrelevant point. And Feelings - throw in some big emotions so that you will feel very big emotions and feelings. Yes, so typically you, Susanne Bier. But, you did manage to convince the single greatest swedish invention since IKEA, Mikael Persbrandt, in starring in your movie. Congrats. And, did anyone say; sky replacement?

Another solid effort from Bier, who has a gift for drawing out and dialing up the tension in quiet and unobtrusive ways. The actor who plays Anton here is quite good, and the way that the Scandanavian and African settings play off one another is a nice idea (one used to somewhat better effect in her earlier film Brothers). I like the way Bier slowly draws Christian and Anton together, each character engaging in acts that offer striking contrasts-and similarities-in their approach to vengeance.

By showing the contrasts between civilized Europe and savage Africa, Susanne thinks she's doing great -- actually showing us how wars and family issues could be stopped by comprehension, dialogue and other human, simple gestures. But I guess she forgot that things just don't work that easily: here, everything seems too tied up, too dramatized to be believable.

Touching and depressing. Great Drama by Bier.

Solid as usual from Bier but not her best work. She bashes us repeatedly over the head with the multiple plot points of this film, each of which has enough dramatic weight to carry its own film. Less is more, Susanne. Focus on just the bullying, or just the adults, or just Africa. Fantastic moral or ethical potential in all of them. The acting was ok but the better actors (the two adult men) were wasted somewhat. Not a bad film but it just suffers hugely from being so over-dramatic.

In a Better World may be the most frustratingly didactic film since Crash, full of overwrought symbolism (Really, the kid's name is Christian? And there's a scene where someone literally turns the other cheek?) and patronizing plot devices. However, both children give strong performances, William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen in particular.

Script was not on the level of everything else, but fine picture.

A more straight-faced offering from Anders Thomas Jensen (and a typically sober one from Bier) that succeeds as an investigation of individual moral codes - how they're formed and how we justify them to ourselves and others. Strong performances from Persbrandt and Thomsen and a sensitive script from Thomas Jensen are offset by Johnk Nielsen, who plays young Christian as a psychopath-in-the-making, too convincingly malicious to truly be convincing.

Technically well-made, but just about everything was a bit obvious (and safe). Didn't feel like the movie went anywhere interesting.

Susanne Bier tackles an important and neglected topic: the influence of fathers on boys with violent tendencies, and along the way, whether it is always right to turn the other cheek. It's beautifully shot, and well-acted throughout, but tends to get a bit overwrought. And the ending is sickly sweet.

A good film by Bier, after her killingly boring Hollywood deroute. But although she herself says she doesn't want to renew herself, I must admit that this will be the last Bier-film that I'll see until she does. This is her, Brothers, Things We Lost In the Fire, etc again and again. They're crying, family breakdown, so sad, so sad. Well written, good acting mostly. Favorite is Persbrandt by far, he's really talented. But nothing new here.