Hævnen

Denmark

Synopsis

IN A BETTER WORLD is a drama of broken idyll and the choice between revenge and pacifism. The film connects the brutal life in an African refugee camp with the postcard-pretty idyll of a sleepy, Danish provincial town. Anton is a doctor and commutes between an African refugee camp and his home in Denmark where he has two small sons. He has left his beloved wife Marianne and they now try to get used to a life without each other. At the same time, Anton's ten-year-old son Elias befriends a new boy in class, Christian, and this unusual friendship soon develops into an ominous alliance which threatens to destroy the village idyll forever.

Director's Statement

IN A BETTER WORLD sets out to explore the limitations we encounter in trying to control our society as well as our personal lives. It asks whether our own "advanced" culture is the model for a better world. Or whether the same disarray found in lawlessness is lurking beneath surface of our civilization? Are we immune to chaos, or obviously teetering on the verge of disorder?
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Susanne Bier

Written by: Anders Thomas Jensen

Produced by: Sisse Graum Jørgensen

Cinematography: Morten Søborg

Editing: Pernille Bech Christensen

Production Design: Peter Grant

Original Score: Johan Söderqvist

Cast: Markus Rygaard, Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, William Jøhnk Juel Nielsen

Nominations and Awards

  • European Director 2011
  • European Film 2011
  • European Actor 2011
  • European Screenwriter 2011
  • Feature Film Selection 2011