After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet)

Release Year: 2006

Director: Susanne Bier

Review: "Every acquaintance, every friend, every person who has a place in your heart, it is the time with them that really means something.  Nothing else matters."  This quote from the film sums the essence of its message perfectly.  In 'After the Wedding', Jacob, a manager at an orphanage in India is summoned back to his home country of Denmark to help secure funds to save the orphanage from bankruptcy.  While there he learns something about his past that shakes his life up in a way he could not imagine, and he is forced to reassess everything.

The way the film deals with family and relationships is incredibly moving.  Each character feels vividly fleshed out and real.  Their emotions are whole and complex, not shadows of the familiar which is so often found in movies.  There is real a real struggle in dealing with feelings for people.  Relationships between mother and daughter, father and son, wife and husband and ex lovers.  None of these relationship are single dimensional, and all are important.  As stated in the quote, its these relationships which define our lives, not the jobs we hold or the places we live.

There isn't a single character which feels underplayed, or insignificant, and a wonderful cast is largely responsible for this.  The interactions and chemistry between them is imperative and their acting is what holds this film together.  There are many intense, personal scenes which are poignant and they ride solely on these powerful performances. Each person is shown to have their flaws, but also their strengths.  There is no bad person, but each fighting for what they believe is right.  Sometimes this conflicts with other people, but its never done maliciously.  There is no one with bad intentions, but sometimes life makes it difficult for everyone to get along.  This is life.  The way the film deals with these conflicts exposes the nature of why relationships, any relationship, is trying.

Without people who we care about in our lives, life would be empty.  It's at times necessary to make sacrifices and give into compromise in order to hold these relationships in tact.  It may not be the easy thing to do, but it often is the right thing if you truly care for that person.  It's this message that the film really hammers home.  It is an emotionally gripping family drama, which is full of heart to its core.

Rating: 4.5/5