I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This is how stories are told, in the simplest way possible. No need for psychopaths or evil people, often you just need a couple of ordinary people with their not-deliberate preconveived notions of statue differences: wealthy vs charitable, businessman vs aid worker and such. Two ordinary men are entangled in what once was a love-triangle. One of them became a businessman and the other a charitable worker. They went on through their lives, but destiny brought them together, and things unfold. 1. Everything is simple in this movie, cinematography, script, etc. 2. The story is brilliantly unraveled, and the acting is even better. 3. The story's issue arises with non-deliberate acts like love and relationships, but the flavour is how the characters perceive each other which is based on their worldviews. 4. The story is developed in a way where you keep up changing your view of the characters and the plot, a lot of minor and major twists make you absolutely attached to the movie.

The plot of this movie is not particularly impressive. It fell into usual scenarios. I already figured the wealthy donor was going to die while half way through. However, it still kept me interested. I would say I was drawn by their acting.Overall is a decent movie. The super acting made this movie worth watching. I think the excellent acting alone with semi flat storyline still can be a good movie. The worst would be a overly plotted storyline which even extraordinary crafts will be in vain. This one to say at least was not the case. Another aspect of the story is the humanitarian came no surprise since it is highly praised in Scandinavian countries. It's not a surprising story but it's a warm one.If you are looking for something to watch, I would recommend it.

After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet, 2006) seems like it should be a large movie—it begins internationally, depicting issues like poverty and homelessness that affect millions around the globe. Quickly though, the focus zooms in on several people who are very closely connected though somewhat of an odd history, forcing the viewer to examine what exactly is required to love someone. Jacob (Mads Mikkelson) manages an Indian orphanage, but is called back to Denmark by a businessman to try and secure more funds for the orphanage. He is offered the funding, but of course there is a twist, made clear following a series of big reveals; Jørgen (Rolf Lassgård), the businessman, requires Jacob to remain in Denmark and begin managing some of the company. As Jacob is actually the biological father of Jørgen's daughter, Jørgen wants him close by to care for the family following his impending death. The film explores the ideas of control, love, and doing one's duty with an interesting take on what constitutes a family.There are several aspects of control seen throughout the film. Jørgen, as a powerful businessman, is used to having people do his bidding. He also knows that he is dying, resulting in his necessary composure despite such unfortunate circumstances. Troubles arise when he tries to extend his control to Jacob, a man who is used to being independent. Jacob resists, feeling that Jørgen is trying to buy him, but gives in when he discovers the exact nature of the request. Helene is also trying to control the situation—she is understandably mad at Jacob for cheating on her, and initially tries to restrict his contact with the family and herself. She eventually sees his value though, leading to the next theme of the film: love.After the Wedding contains numerous interesting relationships, mainly ones that aren't necessarily seen in many other contexts. In India, Jacob is especially close to one of the boys at the orphanage. He acts as a father figure to the boy, but is ultimately forced to leave and has to go back on promises made. The dynamic between the adults in the film is what is the most fascinating though; Jacob is Anna's biological father, from a previous relationship with Helene. Helene then married Jørgen in part to secure a future for Anna. Jørgen is dying though, and wants Jacob to be around to support the family. Jacob's connection to Anna is apparent, although awkward at first. When they first talk in his hotel room, the tension between them is almost painful to watch. Anna begins to open up to Jacob though, which eventually causes Helene to realize that she does still care for him. While she never answers the question about whether or not she'll get back together with Jacob, it's clear that the family cares for him and he is present in their lives. The final theme is an exploration of what it means to do one's duty, especially in keeping with promises that were made. Jacob is the primary vehicle through which we explore this. He is forced back to Denmark to secure more funds for the orphanage, despite a strong desire to remain with the children. Once there, he puts up with a seemingly distant and eccentric Jørgen in the hope of keeping the orphanage open. Jørgen's obligation to his family drives him to find Jacob in the first place, and admit to himself that he must take action to secure their future. The film makes use of many close ups, especially on the face and eyes. In a story so driven by emotion, it makes sense that this would be a focus. Frequently, the larger picture is ignored for a close look at exactly what each character is feeling at the moment. Their emotions are strong and complicated, so taking a moment to dissect them is really helpful. I enjoyed After the Wedding, but it didn't grip me as completely as other films I've seen. However, I think the suspense of the reveal was ruined by the strange actions of Jørgen that led up to it. There were also times where I felt the stony faced acting could have shown a little more depth. I was also ultimately unsatisfied by some aspects of the ending—after so much build up, I feel the viewers deserved slightly more. The film presents interesting ideas, but the lack of resolution means that some of the impact is lost. It's worth a watch, but not one of my favorites.

I may be getting too sentimental in my old age but this film was so touching that I actually cried through quite a bit of it. What I found so touching was how essentially good almost all the characters were.The central character Jacob Pederson (Mads Mikkelsen) despite a nearly constant scowl on his face or a look of deep concern and perhaps worry is a man who really cares about right and wrong and other people. This is a sharp change from his misspent youth when all he cared about were...well what many of us cared about, having a good time. Now he runs an orphanage in Mumbai.While Jacob is the central character the most interesting character and the one with the biggest heart is the very rich Jorgen Lennart Hannson (Rolf Lassgard). Jacob has gone to Denmark to convince Jorgen to support his orphanage. It isn't clear that Jorgen will do so. He has choices for charity. But when Jorgen invites Jacob to his daughter's elaborate wedding, things change.I won't say any more about the plot since it is such an interesting and surprising plot. What I will say is that when Jorgen learns who Jacob really is in relationship to his family (and vice-versa!) he does something so caring, so surprising and so correct and so magnanimous that it will warm the cockles of the coldest heart and bring to tears the most cynical of viewers.And then we are back to Jacob and how he deals with what Jorgen has concocted. And he too does the right thing even though it completely changes his life and costs him something dear to his heart..I wish I could be more concrete. But see the film and I think you'll agree that this is the kind of movie that will make you feel good about people. It's a shame that it's rated "R." Perhaps if you have a tweener or even a bright 10-year-old you can watch it together. And you can talk about it. It is a great relationship film, and a great film for teaching young people about the real choices in life that can come up The acting was excellent. Mikkelsen brought the strength of character and a justified pride to the role of Jacob while Lassgard was warm and real and smart as Jorgen. Both Sidse Babett Knudsen, who played Jorgen's wife, and Stine Fischer Christensen, who played the bride, were intense and so vivid I felt I could touch them. (The intense close-ups on the eyes and faces—and I mean intense—made the actors almost leap off the screen.) But most of my praise must go to Susanne Bier who wrote the story and directed and to Anders Thomas Jensen who wrote the screenplay. The story and the movie are simply brilliant.—Dennis Littrell, author of the movie review collection, "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!"