AFTER THE WEDDING
***** out of *****

Reviewed by Mike Cavanaugh

Screening in the 2007 New Zealand International Film Festival
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Genres
Drama

2006
Directed by
Susanne Bier
Written by
Susanne Bier
Anders Thomas Jensen
Cast
Mads Mikkelsen - Jacob
Rolf Lassgard - Jorgen
Sidse Babett - Helene
Stine Fischer Christensen - Anna
Christian Tafdrup - Christian

The last time I saw Mads Mikkelsen he was a menacing James Bond villain.  So I was a little perplexed to see him billed in After the Wedding as a Danish exile “lavishing what love he can spare” on orphaned children.  But I was convinced from the movie’s opening that here was something special.

Jacob (Mikkelson) lives in India and runs an orphanage in need of financial support. An incredibly rich hotelier, Jørgen (Rolf Lassgård), offers him a chance, and bankroll, of a lifetime, but Jacob must return to Denmark to discuss it.  The story revolves around personal relationships exposed during Jacob’s business trip back to Copenhagen, and the clashes that occur before, during and after the wedding of Jørgen’s twenty-year old daughter.  Soon we discover there’s more at play than what we see on the surface.

After the Wedding sounds more like a soap opera than an amazing movie, but the incredible ensemble with their flawless portrayals means we are left with something Hollywood could never achieve. Everyone perfectly portrays the sense of hidden demons, of secret motives and desires.  The result is an experience that is transfixing, memorable, and moving.

That’s not to say Mikkelson is nothing less than sublime in bringing to life the character of Jacob as a peaceful, loving, yet tortured and haunted soul.  This is a far cry from the vindictive ruthless Bond villain I first knew him as.  The man has depth, and along with everyone else, deftly breathes life into a poignant tale.  From his arrival back in Copenhagen, we see his unease, feel his reluctance and rage.  Our sympathy for the fall of these defenses and Jacob’s reconnection with others is intricately portrayed.

The same goes for everyone involved: Jørgen is a man possessed, but we’re never sure exactly why until towards the end; the connections between father and daughter, husband and wife, are gripping and tender; and we lose ourselves in the rekindling of a man once lost.  After the Wedding really is a stunning film that speaks to human emotions and questions how and why we look to others.

This is an intricate story of people with real emotions, riveting drama and is as touching as it sounds corny.  I found it enthralling, and highly recommend it.

This film will screen in Wellington at The Penthouse on July 21 at 8:30pm and at The Embassy Theatre on July 23 at 8:15pm and July 25 at 3:45pm.

Please refer to the Film Fest homepage for more information on screenings in other parts of the country

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