SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Teerabhat Ruensiri 8/10Why would a millionaire craft a careful plan to sabotage his family and help the guy whom he should envy the most? The film began itself by posing such a puzzling question then spending its latter half to explain it. The answer may be predictable, but it makes you care, and that is important. A lot of film promises a shocking revelation, but rarely delivers. Most of them merely force either a banal conspiracy or a twist for the sake of twisting down your throat. Efter brylluppet, on the other hand, give me a predictable revelation that somehow makes me care even more. The cast is extraordinary. The most noteworthy is definitely Stine Fischer Christensen, who is now one of my favourite actresses of all time. The ability to portray vary array of emotion is a requirement for any good actress but Christensen took it further in Efter brylluppet where she demonstrated the ability to look with both the most believable loving eyes, and the heartbreaking sorrowful one. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to agree with the director Susanne Bier and the cinematographer Morten Soborg. Yes, hand-held camera and such has its power and it is a nice parody with the script but certain scenes, I believe, would improve greatly if they were filmed by a proper camera. I know that the so-called naturalistic is the signature of Danish film but those scenes were less naturalistic because it broke the fourth wall and forcefully reminded me that this is a film. I would give Efter brylluppet 9 out of 10 if it wasn't for such cinematography.

Laura Hein This close to reality drama directed by Susanne Bier tells the story of a Danish orphanage manager, Jacob, who is requested by a wealthy Danish citizen to leave Bombay, India and the kids he has become so close with only to return to Denmark to discuss the possibility of funding. This wealthy citizen, Jorgen, provides the best accommodations for Jacob and even ends up inviting Jacob to his daughter's wedding. It seems out of sheer chance that Jacob runs into a woman, Helene, with whom he had a romance with 20 years ago, and she also happens to be Jorgen's wife and the mother of the bride. The bride, Anna, consequently makes a speech during the dinner that confesses although Jorgen is not her biological father, he has been present for her entire life and has supported her dreams. Jacob immediately realizes there is a big chance Anna is his daughter. After Helene's confirmation, Jacob begins to get to know his daughter while Jorgen seemingly stalls the funding process for the orphanage. We soon find out exactly what Jorgen's intentions have been all along. I give this film such a high score in regards to stars because of the purity and realistic nature of the acting. The plot and story even felt as though it could have been taken from real events. Mads Mikkelson (Jacob), Rolf Lassgard (Jorgen), Sidse Babett Knudsen (Helene), and Stine Fisher Christiansen (Anna) all provide performances that are credible and subtle. The acting found in this film is not acting that would be found in the typical Hollywood film where over-the-top is generally celebrated.The theme of fidelity and infidelity is visited many times in After the Wedding. 20 years prior to the time this film takes place during, Jacob cheats on Helene, which resulted in her leaving him. Mirroring the circumstances of her mother 20 years prior, Anna walks in on her new husband having sex with a friend of hers. We see the devastation that Anna goes through as well as the devastation that Helene remembers from 20 years ago. The only faithful man in this film (among the main characters) is Jorgen, who ends up sacrificing himself somewhat in order to provide the best life for his family after he is gone. As for cinematic techniques, or rather themes, there were countless extreme close ups of eyes. Not just eyes of living characters, but also of mounted taxidermy animals on the walls of Jorgen's house. It is entirely possible that these close ups are used to show the deep emotions that are being felt by these characters, but why the taxidermy animal eyes? It may be an image that connects both life and death, which is what Jorgen is struggling with. It could also be more literal in the fact that eyes are always watching a person and their actions. This still remains a mystery to me, however.Philanthropy and the good will of people come through this film as well. Jacob was originally a free-spirited drunk which is referred to many times, but it seems as though his philanthropic deeds have saved his life (as well as others). The children at the orphanage and those that work there are portrayed as being good, honest, humble people that are not tainted by drama. The children are a symbol for all that is innocent in comparison to the themes of infidelity and non-truths by the Danish characters. After the Wedding is a fresh look at the differences between the haves and the have nots of society and the problems that plague each of them. As Jorgen leaves this world, he gives his money to those that need it in addition to taking care of his family. Towards the beginning of the film, Jorgen doesn't actually consider the reasoning to donating his money other than to bring Jacob to Denmark. Towards the end of the film, the viewer is able to see Jorgen realize how precious life is when he breaks down into the arms of his wife on his birthday in their bedroom. It can be seen that Jorgen only then truly understood the value of life and of the life he has given to have nots in India. He pleads and doesn't want to die, but I do think it is at that moment he accepts his fate. Through his death, many, many children were able to live their lives in a stable environment away from the kind of dramas the family faced through the film.

Dennis Littrell 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!"

Sindre Kaspersen Danish screenwriter and director Susanne Bier's ninth feature film which she co-wrote with Danish screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen, premiered in Denmark, was screened in the Galas section at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, was shot on locations in Denmark and India and is a Denmark-Sweden co-production which was produced by Danish producer Sisse Graum Olsen. It tells the story about a man named Jacob who returns to his native country to rescue the orphanage he manages in India. In Copenhagen, Denmark he meets a Swedish business man named Jørgen who is very interested in making a financial contribution to the orphanage and who after their conversation invites him to the matrimony of his daughter named Anna.Distinctly and intimately directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a truly compassionate portrayal of a man who during a wedding is reunited with a woman he once loved. While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions, distinct production design by Danish production designer Søren Skjær and cinematography by Danish cinematographer Morten Søborg, this character-driven and narrative-driven story which acutely examines themes like family relations and interpersonal relations depicts three heartrending studies of character and contains a great score by Swedish composer Johan Söderqvist.This conversational, humorous and throughout gripping drama where a man who has spent years changing his life for the better meets his former girlfriend and learns that he might have a daughter, is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, interrelated stories, emphatic dialog, natural characters, ethereal theme song by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós which emphasizes the heartening atmosphere and the profoundly engaging and reverent acting performances by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, Swedish actor Rolf Lassgård, Danish actress Stine Fischer Christensen and Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen. A majestic and incisive character piece from the late 2000s which gained numerous film awards.