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I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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

Life is fragile, and an event lasting less than a minute can change dozens of lives for a long time - or even forever. Such as lottery..., or an accident triggering the events depicted in Elsker dig for evigt. In spite of certain predictability, it is gripping to follow the characters, how they "face their challenges", meet new circumstances... Of course, the main cast - Sonja Richter as Cecilie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Joachim, Mads Mikkelsen as Niels, Paprika Steen as Marie - is evenly very strong, adding the often gloomy and painful topic with colour and vitality. The ending, however, could have with more sophisticated.Thus, 7 points for the script, 9 for directing and acting. Recommended to all fond of Dogme 95, Susanne Bier and the above mentioned actors.

This is the second Susanne Bier film I've watched and I found it to be completely absorbing. It probably didn't need to be a movie and would have been quite suitable as a TV film. As a Dogme movie it mostly worked well though occasionally I thought it used gimmicks, which I thought were perhaps not Dogme in nature. Specifically there was the use of what looked like thermal imaging segments at the beginning and end of the film and I've no idea why. There was also a section near the beginning where characters dialogue was clipped before they had finished speaking and again I didn't know why.What carries the film is the acting and characterisation and, apart from the odd weird choices already mentioned, the Dogme style of filming serves the story very well, drawing you in as a viewer and not distracting you with flashy directorial flourishes. I read someone complaining that it didn't make sense to dispense with the language of film that has been built up over years and years but this stripped back approach makes perfect sense to me for the right story.It isn't perfect but it's much better than the average mainstream film. I thought the ending was a little weak. It seemed right to leave the resolution ambiguous but, for me, it wasn't quite ambiguous enough. I also thought Niels' wife was much more attractive than the Caecilie character he falls in love with but that's probably just me!

I recently purchased OPEN HEARTS, having enjoyed immensely Susanne Bier's AFTER THE WEDDING. I realized it was a dogme film and was looking forward to seeing the great MADS MIKKELSEN in digital format. Watching the story unfold was both harrowing and exhilarating. The emotional roller coaster Bier takes you through in this film touches on so many corners of human emotion that I'm left really in admiration of how well she understands human nature. And I also must not forget writer Anders Thomas Jensen, who as a writer, can go to so many places ..not only in human dramas such as this and AFTER THE WEDDING, but vicious, wicked comedies like FLICKERING LIGHTS, and ADAM'S APPLES (both also with MADS MIKKELSEN) The writing was superb, the acting from all parties exceptional. I must say the two characters that really left an impression were Nikolaj Lie Kaas' Joachim, who is so vile during the middle portion of the film, but sympathetic at the same time, and he earned that moment of grace at the end....and also Paprika Steen's Marie, who has a tough role straddling her anger and her need for forgivness from Cecilia. In a scene where you expect Marie will curse Cecilia out, she speaks softly and tells Cecilia she understands. She is also walking this same line with her husband Niels. In a scene where she yells at Niels to get out of the house...She yells the same lines Joachim yells to Cecilia at the hospital, telling her to stay away.....neither character means what they say. It's very interesting that these two scenes would marry each other. I was really impressed with the emotional complexity of all the characters and the hints the director gives us as to a possible outcome....which if life goes accordingly...chance might also undo.

Having just watched this film, I had to write something. Totally stunned by the film and its depth. The acting was superb, with totally believable characters involved with an amazing script. I would rate this as probably the most impacting film I have watched. I would recommend watching this film with a loved one. Don't miss any chance to watch this.The music score is first class, and fits exactly with the tone of the film. Having not seen the actors before, my next task will be to find out what else they and the director have been involved with, in the hope that another gem exists of similar quality.