Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is one of those actors who doesn’t seem to be doing anything other than have his image captured by a camera, and yet is able to convey emotional depths that grab an audience and draw them into the most incredible turbulence. As Jacob, he is haunted by memories of a lost love and driven by anger to make the world, or part of it, a better place. Struggling to run an orphanage in Bombay on a shoestring budget, he is forced to get a suit made and return to Copenhagen in order to plead his case for funding from some philanthropist.
The rich and arrogant Jorgen (Rolf Lassgard) hardly has any interest in Jacob’s spiel, but invites him to his daughter’s wedding the following day. Jorgen’s wife Helena (Sidse Babett Knudsen) recognises Jacob, and the daughter Anna (Stine Fischer) unwittingly divulges a devastating connection between the stranger and her mother. In the days following the wedding the characters make discoveries about each other and the things in life that they can and cannot control.
Scriptwriter Anders Thomas Jensen previously worked with Bier on Open Hearts and Brothers and both of which were unforgettable. This time they have used two incredibly contrasting countries of Denmark and India and, thanks to rock solid performances from their actors and startling cinematography, have again created an extremely memorable and heart’wrenching film.
After the Wedding is 120 minutes and screens at Somerville (UWA) 22-28 January and Joondalup Pines (ECU) 29 January – 4 February.
