After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet) is a beautifully crafted Danish drama directed by Susanne Bier which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. I want to say right away that I absolutely loved this movie. Sometimes, some really good movies go unnoticed and it always is a great feeling to discover them a few years later. After the Wedding is a satisfying torrent of emotions best approached by knowing as little as possible before you watch it. It would be best if you don’t read the rest of the review if you intend to watch this movie. I tried not to reveal the major plot twists and it may make the movie and the review less appealing than it should be but so be it.

Sidse Babett Knudsen and Mads Mikkelsen

As the movie starts, we meet our main character Jacob Pederson (Mads Mikkelsen) passing out food to homeless children in the streets of Mumbai, India. He manages a small orphanage and is in his element there more particularly because of Pramod (Neeral Muchandani), a young boy he has cared for since he was an infant. Unfortunately, he receives word that his orphanage is running out of funds and that he must return to Denmark because a wealthy man, Jørgen Hannson (Rolf Lassgard) is considering making a large donation and requested to meet him in person. Jacob promises Pramod he will be back for his birthday in 8 days and reluctantly hops on a plane back to Denmark where he hasn’t set foot in 20 years. When Jacob gets there, Jørgen is oddly uninterested with what Jacob has to say but invites him to his daughter wedding which is set for the next day so they get to know more about each other. Jacob comes to the wedding and runs into the former love of his life who happens to be Jørgen’s beautiful wife, Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen). I know what you are thinking and I can tell you right now, it’s NOT what you think or expect. It’s much much more interesting than what appears to be a soap opera-like plot and I will not reveal more about the story so as to not spoil anything.

While your average Hollywood director would have churned out a soap opera with cheesy, telegraphed, and commonly seen plot twists as well as unrealistic human behavior and dialogue. Director Susanne Bier and and screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen play it close to the vest and the numerous revelations and plot twists come with powerful and devastating effects that ring true to life. The dialogue is rich and feels real. The characters of the movie  are vivid, complex, and evolve subtly from our initial perception of them (just like in real life!) thanks to outstanding performances from the entire cast. Mads Mikkelsen, whom you may recognize as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale does a great job playing an understated character. Jacob doesn’t have an easy smile, and even though he is a dedi,cated humanitarian worker, his past may not be as saintly. It’s hard to take your eyes off the stunningly beautiful Sidse Babett Knudsen who steals the spotlight in the scenes she is in and Bier takes advantage of that by repeatedly inserting close-ups of her eyes for non-verbal cues.  When she sees Jacob at the wedding for the first time in 20 years, she can’t believe her eyes and we know it without any dialogue or tantrum (or worse, voice over…), just a stare or two from her are enough to cue us in. That‘s movie making at its best! Not everything needs to spelled out as if people are complete retards, we get it! Ok Hollywood?

It’s Rolf Lassgard however who gives the highlight performance of the film. His Jørgen is the complete opposite of Jacob: He first appears as a fat, jovial, and pompous family man but he also has a manipulative streak when it comes to business. Jørgen is a bit threatening, has a drinking problem and initially appears to be the “bad guy” of the movie but is he really? He must want something in return for his money and he must be up to no good? But is he? Those are some of the nagging questions that the viewer will try to answer throughout the first hour of the movie. Best of all, the movie is not only about revelations and secrets but also about what the characters will do once the skeletons have come out of the closet. The movie features some welcome social commentary and asks some important questions among which does a humanitarian cause needs the man or the money? The cinematography is luminous with bright sunny locations and a beautiful mansion used as sets for the movie. Bier choose to not use any artificial lighting and it only increases the realistic feel of the movie.

A mature, harrowing, and humanistic drama elevated by brilliant direction and performances skillfully extracted by Susanne Bier. It’s sad because the very vast majority of people will never see this movie for themselves even the few who read this review.

A-

Note: Have some Kleenex handy