Efter brylluppet (2006)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Susanne Bier

Writers:

Anders Thomas Jensen (screenplay) and
Susanne Bier (story)

Release Date:

24 February 2006 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

champagne is poured... secrets are spilled.

Plot:

A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | India | Orphanage | Secret | Copenhagen Denmark

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Mads Mikkelsen	...	Jacob Pederson
Neeral Mulchandani	...	Pramod, 8 year
Tanya Sharma	...	Indisk Pige 1
Swini Khara	...	Indisk Pige 2
Meenal Patel	...	Mrs. Shaw
Vallabh Gada	...	Suit No. 1
Hitesh Kotak	...	Suit No. 2
Suhita Thatte	...	Indisk Kvinde
Rolf Lassgård	...	Jørgen Lennart Hannson
Dispesh Mistry	...	Pramods Venner
Shivam Vicha	...	Pramods Venner
Frederik Gullits Ernst	...	Martin Hannson
Kristian Gullits Ernst	...	Morten Hannson
Sidse Babett Knudsen	...	Helene Hannson
Mona Malm	...	Farmor (Grandmother)

Also Known As:

After the Wedding (International: English title)
Efter bröllopet (Sweden)

MPAA:

Rated R for some language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Denmark | Sweden

Language:

Danish | Swedish | Hindi | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Norway:11 | Sweden:7 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | Brazil:12 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Argentina:13 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB)

Filming Locations:

Denmark

Company:

After the Wedding

Trivia:

At a showing at a film festival in Estonia, two of the reels had been switched by a mistake, making a part of the film out of place. Apparantly the majority of the audience didn't notice and was generally very enthusiastic about the movie despite the narrative being mixed up.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jacob signs the contract, his name is spelled "Jakob" on the contract. But when Jacob first meets up with Christian, he makes it clear that his name is spelled with a "c" as in "Jacob".

Quotes:

Pramod, 8 year: Is it because the houses are far apart that the people are far apart?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Come On Shake Your Body

Incredible acting, incredible story.

As may be expected of Susanne Bier, and as may be expected of Scandinavian films in general if you ask me, this film is really great. The acting is so good it's hard to call it acting. Mads Mikkelsen (Jacob) puts up a terrific performance with acting that is as credible as it is subtle. Not the over-the-top stuff that we are familiar with from Hollywood, but acting that actually makes you think "yes, this is how real flesh and blood people would react". I was also pleasantly surprised by Sidse Babett Knudsen (Helene). She has a lot of scenes with little or no dialog, but the way she tells everything with subtle face expression is simply mind blowing. And let's not forget Rolf Lassgård (Jörgen) and Stine Fisher Christensen (Anne), who both remind us what real flesh and blood emotions look like in a way that really hits you in the face.

Anyway, I'm a fan of Scandinavian films for reasons mentioned above, and I'm almost ashamed to say that in that light this film was really nothing new, and luckily so: just more of the same wonderful stuff! What really stuck with me about this film however is the story. It is so ...human in all aspects. I won't reveal any spoilers, but as the story unfolds, it just gets so much more complex than you expect at first. In the first 15 minutes, I expected the movie was mainly going to be about the struggle between Jörgen and Jacob. The struggle between these two "stereotypes" really... one being the cool business man who solves everything with money, and the other being the idealistic but clumsy social worker. I was pleasantly surprised however that it got even better after that. What I mainly like about the movie, is that it doesn't offer any simple solutions. In the end, there are no perfect happy endings that solve every puzzle; the main characters have to make decisions, but it's not all black and white like we see in a lot of other movies. People have to do things they might not have done initially, but in the end, there may be upsides as well. You know... that sounds an awful lot like real life, and that's a good thing for a film if you ask me.