After the Wedding (Efter bryllupet)

I heard about this film when it came out and was somewhat intrigued, but the reviews I read were cryptic about the story and I took that to mean it was deep or convoluted, so I put it off. In reality, it is hard to talk about it without giving away plot points that might take away the enjoyment of this wonderful drama. The basic set up is Jacob is running an orphanage in India. He is summoned to his home country of Denmark to meet with a very, very rich businessman, Jørgen, who is offering enough money to take care of more kids than Jacob could imagine. But there are strings attached and a lot of secrets come out on his trip that pull Jacob every which way.

To say more than that would not be fair, if you plan to see this movie. And I highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a well written, well shot, well acted drama. There are so many twists and heart wrenching moments in this Oscar nominated film (Best foreign Language film 2007). Mads Mikkelsen who plays Jacob will be familiar to anyone who saw Casino Royale as the villain of that movie. For the Danish, he was voted “sexiest man alive.” He plays Jacob with just enough brooding and a heart on his sleeve, and you want everything to work out for him. But Jacob is thrown into a situation he could not have imagined and has life-changing dilemmas to face. The rest of the cast is also stellar. This script could easily have turned into melodrama, but under the eye of Director Susanne Bier, it is painfully real.

Have I been cryptic enough? I really liked After the Wedding and just writing about it makes me want to cry. Get a bottle of schnapps and rent it. Bring tissues.

After the Wedding was released in 2006. In Danish.

Still need more in the way of cryptic? Watch the trailer:

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