In a Better World (Hævnen)

In a Better World (Hævnen in Danish) has won many awards, including the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards. It's easy to see why. The acting is superb, the story subtle and moving, and the relationships between the characters beautifully drawn. It avoids all the usual cliches and exaggerated characterisation that you find is so many films these days. The film is the story of two school friends in a small Danish town, and of their families. Elias is bullied at school; his parents are in the process of separating, and his father spends a large amount of time working as a doctor in a Sudanese refugee camp where he is confronted to his own issues. Christian is Elias' mate; he has just lost his mother and blames his father for her passing. As a consequence of his mother's loss, he has become aggressive and dangerous, with a steely attitude. He will drag Elias into doing things they may regret for the rest of their lives.

In a better World was directed by Susanne Bier and released in 2010. It features ,  and .