In a Better World (2010)

Hævnen

7.6

Plot: Anton, his ten year old son Elias and Elias' new best friend Christian are involved in three separate incidents which ultimately question the morality of similar retaliation to physical bullying and other such acts of physical violence. When not trying to be father to Elias and younger son Morten or trying to patch up his disintegrating marriage to his physician wife Marianne in their coastal Danish hometown, Anton, a Swede who is also a physician, works at an African refugee camp, which is surrounded by brutal acts, especially against pregnant women, by a local kingpin. Christian and his father Claus have just moved back to the Danish town, where Claus grew up, following the death of Claus' wife from cancer. Christian blames his father and the world in general for his mother's death. Soon after his arrival to the town, Christian witnesses what is the systemic bullying of Elias by an older and bigger student named Sofus and Sofus' thugs. Being Elias' new friend, Christian also becomes Sofus' target. Christian decides there is only one way to stop the bullying. In another incident, Anton stops a fight between Morten and another young boy which results in Lars, the father of the other boy, physically assaulting Anton in front of both children, Elias and Christian. Anton refuses to fight back believing that physical retribution would bring him down to Lars' level, this attitude despite both Elias and Christian believing that Anton showed Lars nothing in his passivity. And back in Africa, the local kingpin comes into the refugee camp with his militia asking for potentially life saving medical assistance. Anton has to decide to help him or not, which is made all the more difficult by the kingpin's uncompromising attitude that his acts of violence against the women are justified.

Alternative Plot: Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor who travels frequently between his home in Denmark and a refugee camp in Africa. His domestic life is complicated by the fact that he and his wife, Marianne (Trine Dyrholm), are experiencing marital strife and his son, Elias (Markus Rygaard), is a victim of school bullying. When a new boy, whose mother recently died, moves to town and befriends Elias, it provides solace for both father and son. After a reckless act, however, things turn tragic.

Rate this movie!

Rated

Movie review by visitors

Have you seen this movie; Write a review
To be able to rate the movie, your review must exceed 350 characters