In a Better World (2010)
"Hævnen" (original title)

The lives of two Danish families cross each other, and an extraordinary but risky friendship comes into bud. But loneliness, frailty and sorrow lie in wait.

Director:

Susanne Bier

Writers:

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

Stars:

Mikael Persbrandt, Wil Johnson, Markus Rygaard

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mikael Persbrandt	...	Anton
Wil Johnson	...	Najeeb (as Will Johnson)
Eddy Kimani	...	Patient (as Eddie Kimani)
Emily Mulaya	...	Sygeplejerske
Gabriel Muli	...	Læge
June Waweru	...	Sygeplejerske
Mary Ndoku Mbai	...	Patient (as Mary Nduku Mbai)
Dynah Bereket	...	Gammel dame
William Jøhnk Nielsen	...	Christian (as William Jøhnk Juel Nielsen)
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Claus
Elsebeth Steentoft	...	Signe
Satu Helena Mikkelinen	...	Hanna
Camilla Gottlieb	...	Eva
Simon Maagaard Holm	...	Sofus
Emil Nicolai Helms	...	Sofus' skolekammerat

Storyline

Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian's mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy.

---

Plot Keywords:

boy | refugee camp | friendship | death | african | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent and disturbing content some involving preteens, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

Denmark Sweden

Language:

Danish Swedish English Arabic

Release Date:

26 August 2010 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Julius

Filming Locations:

Fåborg, Fyn, Denmark

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$33,058 (USA) (1 April 2011)

Gross:

$1,007,908 (USA) (2 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Danmarks Radio (DR), Det Danske Filminstitut, Film Fyn

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Susanne Bier mentioned that the meeting of Elias' mother with Christian's father in the headmistress' office was originally longer and was the first scene of a story line in the script that brought Christian to the belief there was a budding romance between them. Most of that story line was cut during editing because there were too many story lines (26:19 in the Blu-ray director's commentary).

---

Goofs

When Anton (Michael Persbrant) performs his first surgery he scratches his head/corrects the position of his mask after having put on sterile gloves (at around 42 mins) thereby contaminating them and risking that the patient gets infected. A real surgeon would never do this, and if she or he did, she or he would change gloves.

---

Connections

Featured in DR2 Premiere: Episode #4.1 (2010)

User Reviews

Fantastic! This is a must see!!

A good movie is a good movie. But I seldom have seen such a fantastic movie from Scandinavia. The photo, the locations, the casting, the music, the acting, a strong story and Susanne Biers touch of directing.

I was really glad to see Mikael Persbrandt in this kind of roll, hoping to see more of this... The two young boys, playing the main characters, wow! We have not seen the last of this young men!

A strong story on many levels, a beautiful sadness from the Nordic country's, with a high recognize level for most people...

You really need to see this film, one of the best ones I have seen in years.

I wouldn't be surprised if this movie wins a ton of awards.

Susanne Bier, you have made a lot of good films before this one, but for this one I really salute you.

Thank You!!