Directed by: Susanne Bier
Original title: Hævnen
Whenever there's a film winning Oscar's Best Foreign Language category, I am interested to see it.
I think that category is the most interesting at all, giving us windows about a world we rarely see. Besides there's always be something nice to know beyond Hollywood. So with high expectation I watch this one, the one that had won and I am a bit disappointed.
Sure the theme of revenge and redemption is well played here, but it is not as good as Biutiful (I haven't seen the other nominees besides Biutiful). Not that this one is bad, it is just, as a winner, it doesn't provoke my thoughts. Is it because I have seen movies with similar theme? Or am I looking for something more that I haven't been able to express it with words yet? I don't know for sure.
Sure it is nice and I can get what the director is trying to say. It just doesn't left me speechless at all.
However, to make my blog sound sophisticated, I shall review this film. The original Danish title is Hævnen, which means The Revenge and that makes much more sense in terms of a title instead of In a Better World. I don't know why the translation of the title can be so different than the real meaning from the real title. Commercial purposes?
Span in two continents, Europe and Africa the tale of revenge, fatherhood and redemption is nicely told.
It is not a global story about some pretentious artsy stuff, it is a family story. Elias (Markus Rygaard) is a 12 year old boy who used to be bullied at school. His father, Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor in a war torn Sudan. Anton himself is in a process to divorce his wife.
Elias found a friend in Christian (William Jøhnk Nielsen), a new student who bravely defend Elias as Elias about to be beaten by the school thug. Christian himself is an angry boy, unable to convey his emotional loss after his mother passed away to his cold father.
Soon things start to unravel, Anton must face the dilemma in his profession and a revenge act by Christian left everyone shocked. The adults and the children learn something out of their actions.
Preaching revenge is bad is something this film is trying to do, and it is successful. However the happy ending tone of this film gives hope instead of grim premonition that if people do something, they can avert disaster. It is not the sort of sugar coated Hollywood happy ending that can be negated by grim ending, but the realistic one that we can believe.
Speaking of revenge, I have this strange idea of putting this film slightly below I saw the Devil, Old Boy and Confession. I don't know why, those movies are darker and brutal in tone but has almost the same message about revenge; that we as human might learn something from it, whether it resulted in bad or good end.
Original title: Hævnen
Whenever there's a film winning Oscar's Best Foreign Language category, I am interested to see it.
I think that category is the most interesting at all, giving us windows about a world we rarely see. Besides there's always be something nice to know beyond Hollywood. So with high expectation I watch this one, the one that had won and I am a bit disappointed.
Sure the theme of revenge and redemption is well played here, but it is not as good as Biutiful (I haven't seen the other nominees besides Biutiful). Not that this one is bad, it is just, as a winner, it doesn't provoke my thoughts. Is it because I have seen movies with similar theme? Or am I looking for something more that I haven't been able to express it with words yet? I don't know for sure.
Sure it is nice and I can get what the director is trying to say. It just doesn't left me speechless at all.
However, to make my blog sound sophisticated, I shall review this film. The original Danish title is Hævnen, which means The Revenge and that makes much more sense in terms of a title instead of In a Better World. I don't know why the translation of the title can be so different than the real meaning from the real title. Commercial purposes?
Span in two continents, Europe and Africa the tale of revenge, fatherhood and redemption is nicely told.
It is not a global story about some pretentious artsy stuff, it is a family story. Elias (Markus Rygaard) is a 12 year old boy who used to be bullied at school. His father, Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor in a war torn Sudan. Anton himself is in a process to divorce his wife.
Elias found a friend in Christian (William Jøhnk Nielsen), a new student who bravely defend Elias as Elias about to be beaten by the school thug. Christian himself is an angry boy, unable to convey his emotional loss after his mother passed away to his cold father.
Soon things start to unravel, Anton must face the dilemma in his profession and a revenge act by Christian left everyone shocked. The adults and the children learn something out of their actions.
Preaching revenge is bad is something this film is trying to do, and it is successful. However the happy ending tone of this film gives hope instead of grim premonition that if people do something, they can avert disaster. It is not the sort of sugar coated Hollywood happy ending that can be negated by grim ending, but the realistic one that we can believe.
Speaking of revenge, I have this strange idea of putting this film slightly below I saw the Devil, Old Boy and Confession. I don't know why, those movies are darker and brutal in tone but has almost the same message about revenge; that we as human might learn something from it, whether it resulted in bad or good end.
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