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Bookmark this pageOpen Hearts (2002)
Director: Susanne Bier
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Opening in a happy place - vivacious flirtation in one household, familial intimacy in another - this Dogme drama pivots on a shocking calamity that opens the gates to an adulterous affair, and its attendant fall-out. Left without his motor abilities, Joachim (Kaas) casts off his fiancée Cecilie (Richter), in anger or in sorrow. Forsaken, she takes comfort in the arms of Niels (Mikkelsen), a doctor at Joachim's hospital, whose wife Marie (Steen) unwittingly authored Joachim's tragedy. It's a schematic melodrama on paper, but the film's achievement, carried through from an intrepid screenplay to the consummate performances, lies in the conviction of its characterisation. Everyone has their emotions; no one is vilified or sanctified. Besides the de rigueur Dogme hand-held camerawork, Bier tries a couple of quite effective technical effects: grainy wish-fulfilment projections, thermogram street shots of Copenhagenites by night. The accompanying Dido-esque mood music is a little over-easy, but illustrates the sort of romantic fluff Cecilie still fills her head with - which in turn raises the nub of the tale: in the wise words of Pat Garrett, 'What you want, and what you get, are two different things.' Unless, this once, you're in the market for a savvy relationships drama.Author: NB
User reviews of this film
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- Daniele Turi said...
- Posted on May 10 2011 10:05 One of the most delicate Dogme films, wonderful acting and superb script. Years later it still feels like I lived that experience.
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Cast & crew
Director: Susanne Bier
Producer: Vibeke Windeløv
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolai Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, Stine Bjrregaard, Birthe Neumann, Niels Olsen, Ulf Pilgaard full cast
Rated: 15
Duration: 113 mins
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