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Lack of good storyline.

Great Film overall

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

HEAVEN (aka A BETTER WORLD) is a Danish film about revenge, and falls into that curious Scandi genre of films about people trying to restrain their inner violence as they live in non-violent societies (facing you inner- Viking, one might say). The film swings between two middle class Danish families. In Denmark the families face adult and child bullies, whilst in Africa the husband/father of one family is a doctor on a humanitarian mission which is challenged by a local militia. The former story is entirely predictable, and anyone who sees the kids looking at the tall, unguarded building in the center of the town knows it will end up with an attempted suicide by rooftop. The latter story is more interesting but is let down by silly Western thinking; it ends (spoilers) with the doctor letting his patients murder the unarmed militia leader. But surely if they did so, the militia would simply kill the patients? Instead of confronting the consequence's of the doctor's decision the film cuts away. It's disappointing and juvenile.

Susanne Bier's most recent film was a frivolous rom-com starring Pierce Brosnan; so it's almost a surprise to be reminded how tough her previous work was. 'In a Better World' tells a story of playground bullying, civil war, parental death and alienation. I've seen more subtle treatments of these themes but nonetheless, there's a real power to the themes, which portray both the inevitable hardships of life, but also the way that human social structures build on a further layer of misery and grief. And also the way that our own reaction to the injustices we suffer can drive us to make the world an even worse place. In spite of the darkness, this is still an engaging movie, with warm, sympathetic characters. The drama isn't quite as acutely particular as it was in my favourite film of Bier's, 'After the Wedding'; but it's still worth watching.

In a better world explores the relationships between people, and the environment they find themselves in. Though it could be considered a melodrama for the extreme situations and type of events the characters deal with, I consider it a drama because of the heartfelt way it was presented and the incredible acting especially on the children's part.The story focuses mainly on Denmark with clips from Anton's time in the Sudan in stark contrast to the orderly world. Though instead of alienating that storyline, both geographical locations worked very well in tandem. Anton, who seems so in control and composed in Denmark, especially dealing with the mechanic who slaps him on multiple occasions, is finally placed in a similar situation to his young boy, Elias. After doing the right thing, or what objectively doctors would agree to be the right thing, Anton loses his black and white morals and pulls the sickly cruel warlord out of the hospital to be beaten to death by the people.In contrast to his son, Elias, Anton does not need a catalyst. Elias does. The only time Elias really sees his father is when he is in control. Even when Anton is emotional about his marriage, Elias is absent. Elias deals with bulling at school, but has no role model besides his dad, so he does his best to ignore it. He keeps his head down and hopes the bullies go away. Christian is in sharp opposite to Elias, and actually much more like Anton than either character would probably admit. Having just recently lost his mother, who seemed to be his moral compass in the world, his relationship with his father deteriorates. Consequently his idea of what is right and wrong becomes solidified into a very violent brutal code. After being punched in the face, Christian's response is to beat the bully with a bike pump and take a knife to his neck. Elias witnesses the attack, but both boys lie about the knife. Later Christian gives the knife to Elias both as an offer of friendship but also symbolizing Elias taking on Christian's code. Christian's code would fit much better in the Sudanese world Anton finds himself in, than the clean swept streets of Denmark. Elias takes on this code without fully realizing what it is all about. After it is revealed to him that Christian wants to build a bomb to blow up the mechanics car, Elias backs out. But after a failed attempt to speak with his dad, and his mother freaking out because she found the knife, Elias returns to Christian. At one point in the move, just after Anton has saved Christian from suicide he tells him "Sometimes it feels like there is a veil between you and death, but that veil disappears when you loose someone you loved or someone who was close to you, and you see death clearly, for a second, but later the veil returns, and you carry on living. Then things will be alright again." Anton, who experiences this absence of veil on a regular basis with the young women and children he treats understands the turmoil inside of Christian. He understands Christians need to act. Just before this, Anton had thrown the warlord out of the hospital knowing he would be beaten to death, but he had no regret, which I believe is what scared him most. In that moment however, there was no veil between him and death and he was extremely vulnerable. Anton can recognize this in Christian and understand him. Anton is the only one to know Christian has gone to the silo. Anton's understanding of Christian's situation helps Christian accept death as a part of life, and in some small way, reinstall the veil he has been living without.Marianne also has this veil between her and death removed when Elias almost dies. Even though he is all right, the trauma of seeing her son being brought in on a gurney and covered in blood has a profound effect on her. When she sees Christian try to visit her son, she threatens him pushing him up against the wall with her hand on his throat. She tells Christian that he had killed her son before he runs away. Marianne, who is shown, thought the film as an emotional character becomes brutal in this instant. She takes on Christian's code of violence when her son's life is threatened. Her response to Christian after this traumatic event is vital to understanding the turmoil inside Christian and Anton both. All in all this is an incredible look into the effect of death and the complicated but beautiful relationships between people.

Eventually the great winner of the movie is Anton, the father of the Elias. And this is the main message the movie carries on. As i was over and over involved into the movie I was asking myself what is between the 2 different behaviors, getting revenge or adopting a more peaceful approach, the most successful one. And that is a question that recurs often in my life and I answered myself that I am towards a more peaceful approach as well. Or well I guess it may not really be if not entirely about this, at least surely not only about that. Indeed as Anton gives Bigmen to the angry crowd, there it is a successive development to the peaceful approach. And there I thought that there may be a natural order of the things, whereby they are settled, even if that may assume a more violent aspect. But maybe there is a sound and valid reason for that. And I found an enlightening explanation that is consistent with a sort of red line, linking or better, going beyond the mere juxtaposition between the 2 behaviors, getting revenge or answering with the other cheek. And that enlightening explanation lies in Anton's person. He, regardless the situation, the persons involved, the possible consequences of his actions, well he did what was the most fitting with his inner, personal "rules of living", rules is not an appropriate word according to me in this occasion, but I mean by that that there are certain values he believes in and that those guide him through life and his actions. And these values are those that he attempted to teach to the 3 kids when he went to visit the violent man working with the cars. Alongside a peaceful approach, his utter dedication to his job, meant as saving life, again regardless the persons involved, or what they did. Exactly as with his peaceful approach, regardless what the other person did to him. And also the fact that he kicks Bigman out of the camp is linked with him following his inner personality, with him doing what he feels like. So offending that woman, and thus touching his life-mission, saving people, plus profoundly disrespecting her, these inner values are what prompted in him that harsh reaction. Which is thus not to be linked with a desire of revenge. Was it revenge he would have not hailed Bigman. And well these 2 opposite are finely and wisely represented by the 2 main characters: Christian is the blind desire of revenge and Elias the peaceful approach, however both with some lacks: Christian is blind in it and Elias passively suffer bully ism, leading this to a likely inner sufferings, not that it's his fault to suffer bully's but well a reaction may be good, in order not to suffer that, maybe well surely not as strong as Christian's (even if successful, at least in that case, but proved to be wrong with the violent man, for instance, OK it was much bigger, but the concept behind was the same, a great reaction). What anyway leads Christian in his desire of revenge is his inner pain, his inner anger, and resentment towards the father, so he channels unsuccessfully such issues through others, with that feeling of revenge. So what will go over these 2 approaches is indeed represented by Anton, the person that wisely adopt a peaceful approach, obtains respect and goes thus further. And all these three situations are indeed represented by the three characters. And Anton is the one that could calm down Christian.So that's the profound aspect that is the core of the movie. And the allegories in the movie, calling the profoundity of the issues are really superb. So these 3 behaviors, plus the combination between Africa and Denmark was really successful and that gave us the extent to which Anton's approach is successful, regardless facing a crazy boss of African mercenaries or some violent man in his town. All in all the movie was really well done, and well very well acted. Christian's actor is really good. Well I gave this movie a 9, totally deserved that. And plus there are many other interesting things in the movie. Really a profound movie. And the message carried is so clear and successful, Really a movie that makes u think and reflect, about also how to conduct your life. It indeed made me proud of thinking that I adopt a peaceful approach but also more with Anton's approach, one for which, you may be peaceful but the knowledge of being right, of being on the side of the good, gives you so much power that no punch, no slap would ever give you. Because once you'll take action, that action will be so strong in its consequences that the person that was treating you bad, won't even have the chance to reply. And that is exactly what happened to me recently and it's very very similar to when Anton kicked out of the camp big man. Really.