Synopsis
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.
I love the characters in this film. In a Better World focuses mainly on the relationship of the two boys (Elias and Christian), and spirals out to their parents. The story unwinds as the two boys are quickly and precisely developed; Christian is the ‘nothing to lose’ kid and Elias is the weaker peacemaker. As you get to know them you understand that they’re a reflection of their parents and the attitudes their parents sport. Elias’ father works at a doctor helping the underprivileged and, more importantly, believes in peace rather than war. You get a good blunt dose of that when his father is discriminated against, and even slapped a few times, by a local car repairman who hates the Danish. Elias carries himself the same way, as he prefers to ignore a schoolyard bully rather than fight against him. Much like his father, he ends up taking a beating here and there, but ends up being the better man (though bruised).
Christian is the opposite, as his relationship with his father is shattered due to the unfortunate passing of his mother. The disconnect of family values creates a boy that has to fight to get through his world rather than talk things out. His inner anger has no boundaries, which means that when he goes off there is nothing too extreme. For example, when Christian sees the schoolyard bully constantly picking on Elias he ends up doing something about it. He beats the poor kid with a bike pump and then puts a knife to his throat. Extreme and uncaring, Christian is the perfect opposite of Elias, which makes for a very strong set of characters that play off each other.
Susanne Bier’s vision of having these two opposites as the centerpieces to her film was brilliant. You care for them because they’re kids, which makes what they do in the film even more powerful. She has made sure that the audience is fully invested in the boys as the story moves on. Her personification of each kid with revenge (Christian) and empathy (Elias) makes each segment of the story interesting. Bier’s ability to take those two things and balance that out perfectly between the rest of the family from each child makes this a very even, very ying/yang story that ends with an emotional high. Bier did a great job with building the moments, especially with Christian. As he saw more hatred around him he got angrier and more lost. The climax of the film really defines how positively messed up a young kid can be when they feel absolutely alone and lost in the world without a parent truly in their life. Thinking about it as I’m typing this makes me incredibly sad for this character’s situation, but that’s what is suppose to happen when you watch the film. There’s nothing fancy about what Bier and crew did, but what they did they did perfectly.
Excellent story with excellent characters makes for a rich experience.
In a Better World… which is better on Blu-ray
The Blu-ray portion of this film is outstanding. When Elias’ father is out in the field helping groups of underprivileged in a very dry desert region you will be hard-pressed to find a more gorgeous looking sky on Blu-ray that isn’t altered by computers in post. Very rich colors are sprinkled through film with lots of blues, reds and yellows standing out pretty stoutly. There is no color banding issues with this film and it’s presented in 2.35:1. Though there may not be a lot fast moving shots or any great technical camera achievements, the film still looks gorgeous and there are no artifacts or graininess in the final print.
As for features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Deleted Scenes
– Commentary with director Susanne Bier and editor Pernille Bech Christensen
– Interview with Susanne Bier
While these features certainly add enough to the Blu-ray release, I would have liked to seen some interviews with actors. Getting their opinions, insight and how they felt about the film would have been a huge plus. As it is the features are still good, but not great. The commentary and interview with Susanne Bier is good. The deleted scenes are okay. Again, good, but not quite great.