Open Hearts (2002)
"Elsker dig for evigt" (original title)

A Dogme film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident.

Director:

Susanne Bier

Writer:

Anders Thomas Jensen

Stars:

Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

12 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Niels
Sonja Richter	...	Cæcilie Pagh
Nikolaj Lie Kaas	...	Joachim
Paprika Steen	...	Marie
Stine Bjerregaard	...	Stine
Birthe Neumann	...	Hanne
Niels Olsen	...	Finn
Ulf Pilgaard	...	Thomsen
Ronnie Lorenzen	...	Gustav (as Ronnie Hiort Lorenzen)
Pelle Bang Sørensen	...	Emil
Anders Nyborg	...	Robert
Ida Dwinger	...	Sanne
Philip Zandén	...	Tommy
Michel Castenholt	...	Furniture Store Assistant
Birgitte Prins	...	A&E Doctor

Storyline

Cecilie is devastated when her fiancée Joachim is seriously injured in a car accident and is paralyzed from the neck down. Marie was the driver that caused the accident and she ask her husband Niels, a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is being treated, to help out Cecilie. However their relationship evolves in an affair which threatens Niels family.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | hospital | car accident | love | birthday | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexuality

Details

Country:

Denmark

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Open Hearts

Filming Locations:

Fælledparken, Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$14,224 (USA) (21 February 2003)

Gross:

$122,308 (USA) (28 March 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Det Danske Filminstitut, Zentropa Entertainments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paprika Steen's slap to Mads Mikkelsen was not scripted and was improvised on the spot.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are stamped on the screen in thermal photography.

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Connections

References The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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Soundtracks

"Open Your Heart"
Written by Jesper Winge Leisner, Niels Brinck, Anggun
Performed by Anggun

User Reviews

finding new love the hard way

Another one of those small Euro digital films that explores human emotion so much better than the mega-bucks equivalents from the States.

When a loving couples unity is shattered by a horrific road accident that cripples the boyfriend, the story explores how a moment can destroy a lifetime or create alternate paths. Superbly acted with deep pathos and unflinching torment, I have yet to see a better performance this year of a female lead. You leave the cinema questioning how the happiest moment in your life can be stolen in a blink of an eye. Life is fragile and all too brief. Not a minute should be wasted.