In a Better World
Genre: Drama
Director: Susanne Bier
Stars: Mikael Perspbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Markus Rygaard
***1/2
The disconnect between divine intentions and flawed humanity fuels the films of Denmark’s Susanne Bier (Brothers, After the Wedding). With In a Better World, this year’s Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, she fits new pieces into the violent puzzle that is man.
Split between peaceful Denmark and battle-scarred Kenya, the film plays almost as biblical proverb, as two humanist fathers struggle to teach their own challenged morality to their troubled sons.
Bathed in a golden light that contrasts with the film’s dark emotional currents, In a Better World brilliantly dramatizes the vexing problem of trying to do right in a world of situational ethics.
