Movie Recommendation: After the Wedding

Copenhagen is the setting for After the Wedding.

The 2006 Danish film Efter brylluppet (After the Wedding) is devastatingly good. Susanne Bier directs. (Her 2002 movie Elsker dig for evigt--Open Hearts--is awesome too.) In it, one of my favorite actors, Mads Mikkelsen, returns to Copenhagen from his years in India ostensibly to meet briefly with a wealthy man. The man has asked specifically for Mads' character to visit--even though they've never met--so they can discuss how the wealthy man might donate to (and save) the failing school / orphanage Mads helps run.

The wealthy man delays things. Mads is irritated at being back in Copenhagen, but agrees to meet with the man at the wealthy man's daughter's wedding. Soon, it's apparent that the wealthy man is married to a woman Mads was involved with many years ago...about as many as the daughter is old.

And then a rather strange deal is proposed to Mads by the wealthy man....

If you rent this film, brace yourself. It gets rather intense. This bastard made me tear up TWICE!! And the speech the wealthy man gives at a party is one to remember.