Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor who works in an African refugee camp, where he encounters heartwrenching senseless violence. He commutes to Denmark on a regular basis to be with his family -- a wife (Trine Dyrholm) who is contemplating divorce and his two sons. The contrast between the two cultures is extreme: a harsh desert inhabited by homeless tribes people seeking medical treatment, the necessities of life, and protection from marauders who mercilessly slaughter innocent people for the fun of it; compared to verdant, moist Denmark. There, his heart is breaking because his wife is not able to forgive him his transgression. It seems his only other problem is his older son, Elias, who is trying to deal with a school bully. Otherwise, Anton can relax by the lake at his country home, enjoy spending time with his sons and generally regroup for his next intense stay in Africa.
Yet, we learn these two cultures have the same undercurrents motivating their citizens. There is unprovoked evil around us all; there is the deep-seated need for retribution; there is always and everywhere these darker examples of the human condition. And Anton desperately desires to rise above these baser human instincts.
Through the interactions of his son, and his new school friend, Christian (William Johnk Nielsen), we find a microcosm of these instincts. Christian's mother has recently died and he becomes angry and remote. His father, Claus (Ulrich Thomsen) can't reach him. Actually, it seems both fathers' attempts at reaching their sons, putting them on the 'right' path and regaining parental authority and intimacy are thwarted. One example. Christian pummels the school bully after he is once hit by him. His father tries to explain this is no solution. Fighting just leads to more fighting. Christian responds that Claus doesn't know *^$#. In every new school he has attended, he had to fight the biggest bully. Then he is never bothered again. And that's how it really is.
Perhaps he's right. Perhaps both dads are idealists who have somehow survived in the more advanced societies of Western Europe, but again, they also may have to confront their own ideals, bite the bullet and just do what has to be done.
This is a subtle and fascinating study in the roots of culture and how far modern society has taken us. The young boys are both brilliant in their roles. Christian was particularly powerful as a boy on the cusp of becoming a bad seed and reminded me of his namesake Christian Bale as a child of the same age in 'Empire of the Sun' (1987). And that's saying a lot, especially this being his first film!. Markus Rugaard as Elias perfectly captured the vulnerable boy in flux -- witnessing his family breaking up, dealing with the violence of a relentless bully, deciding to hold onto his best ever friendship or not based on his morals and fears. 'In A Better World' truly deserves its Best Foreign Film Academy Award. It should not be missed by anyone living among others (not necessary for hermits) and has a lot to say directly to fathers.
In A Better World (Hæven)
Director: Susanne Bier
Story: Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen
Writer: Anders Thomas Jensen
Cast: William Jøhnk Nielsen, Markus Rygaard, Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Martin Buch, Wil Johnson
Time: 113 min.
Rated: R
Opening April 8 in the Embarcadero and April 15 at the Sundance Kabuki in San Francisco
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