In a Better World - 3 1/2 smiles

“In A Better World,” which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar, explores the question, Is man predatory or civilized? and concludes that compassion and forgiveness works better in the long run than violence and revenge. These ideas play out in the relationship between two boys and with Anton, (Mikael Persbrandt), the father of one of the boys. This well-directed and sensitively acted film shifts between two locales. In a refugee camp in Africa, Anton (Persbrandt), a doctor and part of Doctors without Borders, does what he can in the face of brutal tribal violence and murder, splitting his time between relief work and trying to fix his broken marriage in Denmark, while still being a good father to his sons, including eldest Elias (Markus Rygaard). Claus (Ulrich Thomsen) is returning to Denmark after his wife’s death with his grief-stricken son Christian (William Jøhnk Nielsen). Claus tries to reach out to Christian, but doesn’t really know how. When Elias is bullied at school, Christian, newly transferred, becomes his protector.

Much of “In a Better World” is about kids trying to make sense of the morals and messages of the adult world and discovering that grown-ups have problems with morals and messages in the adult world, too. Director Susanne Bier uses the activities in a schoolyard to juxtapose the events that are played out on a larger scale in the world all the time and she’s very effective at capturing her characters’ emotions. Cinematographer Morten Søborg gives us the harsh plains of Africa, the quiet cottage at night, and the eerie stillness high atop a silo by the port where the children see the world and hide from it. Bier’s cast is excellent, especially the child actors. “In a Better World” is a thoughtful timeless work that you’re sure to enjoy. Subtitles. 4/7/11