Happy Holidays, everybody! It's Christmas Eve, and as my own special gift to you(Don't say I never did anything for ya!) I'm beginning yet another column. As you can probably tell from the title, I'll be reviewing films that I've just finished watching from my over burdened Netflix queue. These will be short reviews for the most part, just enough to let you know whether or not to add the film to your own queues.
And yes, there are some films on the list that I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't seen.
Last night I finally got a chance to catch up with Susanne Bier's After the Wedding. It stars Mads Mikkelsen(the bloody eyed villain from Casino Royale) as Jacob,the manager of a poor orphanage in India. He is invited to Denmark by a business named Jorgen to see about perhaps financing the orphanage, as it is nearly out of money. What Jacob doesn't realize is that Jorgen has an agenda of his own. Jacob is the former love of Jorgen's current wife, Helene, and the true father of their daughter. What Jorgen's plan for Jacob truly is, turns out to be the mystery. This leads into a frank examination of responsibility and identifying one's true place in the world, as Jacob must decide between a life with the family he should've had all along or the life he's made for himself back in India.
I've been hearing so many great things about this film, and now I see why. Mads Mikkelsen is simply amazing here, showing so much more than I thought possible after his somewhat questionable performance in Casino Royale. After a slow start, the film really takes hold of you as the many intricate relationships weave together and you wonder how it could possibly end happily. I'd say about 70% of the film is subtitled, so if you're averse to that sort of thing this might not be your cup o' tea, but otherwise I'd say throw this near the top of your list immediately. You will not be disappointed.
8/10
