MIKAEL PERBRANT (left) and Trina Dyrholm in "A Better World."
Subject lives in two worlds in ‘A
Better World’
Mikael Persbrandt plays Anton, a man
who lives in two different worlds with two very different sets of
challenges in the film “In A Better World.”
Anton is drifting apart from his wife
while straining to work as a doctor in a dangerous and crude African
refugee camp while trying to keep his life going in a Denmark town.
He and wife Marianne (Trine Dyrholm)
are looking at a separation. Meanwhile, his son, Elias, 10, is being
bullied in school. Every day, his bicycle tires are flattened and the
stems are taken out so he can’t simply inflate them.
Then there’s the new boy in town,
Christian, played by William Nielsen, who moved from London with his
recently widowed father, Claus, played by Ulrich Thomsen.
Christian has his share of problems,
most manifested by the death of his mother and his hatred for his
father, whom Christian perceives as to be relieved by her death.
When a bully turns his anger from Elias
to Christian, Christian retaliates by clubbing the bully and
threatening him with a knife.
In this movie at least, bullying seems
to be tolerated in Denmark. When Elias’ parents are initially
called in to discuss the bullying, a school administrator seems to
indicate his parents’ marital problems are a part of the problem.
Even after Christian violently beats
the bully, the ramifications don’t appear serious.
Anton, meanwhile, is juggling a lot of
issues. One day he must stand up to a tribal leader who demands
treatment and laughs when a woman dies.
He must operate under crude conditions,
under dusty tents with marauding gangs in Jeeps shooting off guns.
He comes home to a cold wife and a
confused son.
At one point, Anton separates his son
and another boy who are fighting. He finds himself the target of a
bully himself. We know Anton isn’t a coward. He stood up to a
fierce tribal leader.
But in the case of the local bully, he
takes his lumps and leaves. But Elias is horrified.
Christian, with so many anger issues,
decides he’s going to get revenge by building a pipebomb and
placing it under the bully’s vehicle. If it’s exploded early in
the morning, it won’t hurt anyone, Christian decides.
But the horrific blast does have its
consequences.
This film seemingly dumps us into a
group of interesting people and their compelling lives. We hang for
awhile and the movie ends. There are no certain conclusions. There’s
no happy endings.
Their lives go on and so do ours.
The characters are interesting and
compelling. There are many side stories to keep us interested.
The actors, even the younger ones, know
their stuff.
“In A Better World” is indeed a
better movie.
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IN A BETTER WORLD
• Directed by Susanne Bier
• Written by Anders Thomas Jensen and
Bier
• Rated R for violence and disturbing
content, some involving preteens
• In Danish, Swedish and some English
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• 4 stars out of 5
