Open Hearts (Elsker Dig for Evigt) (2002) - Susanne Bier

Susanne Bier
She was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to Jewish parents. Her father's family fled to Denmark in 1933 when Hitler gained power in Germany. At the time her father was only 2 years old. Her mother's family came to Denmark 30 years prior due to the prosecution of Jews in Russia. In 1943 both her mother's and father's family fled to Sweden when the Nazis invaded Denmark only to return three years later after the German occupation had ended. In The atrocities of World War II made a lasting impression on Bier's parents and shaped the values that they passed on to their children. Bier grew up in a family concerned with moral questions, and she was taught at an early age to believe in righteousness and to always act morally. Her parents would, for example, insist that if a cashier handed back too much change that you immediately correct the wrong doing (L. Thorsen, Politiken, Aug 22, 2010). The questions of morality and human nature are themes that reiterate throughout Bier's film production.

Growing up Bier was a tomboy who favored playing soccer with the boys over playing with dolls with the other girls. She was also socially awkward and often preferred the solitude of books to socializing in groups. Bier has expressed that she never really understood the female social dynamics and that she still finds large groups of females unsettling. Bier likes to speak her mind freely, which she felt was more appreciated among her male friends (L. Thorsen, Politiken, Aug 22, 2010).

When Bier graduated from high school she knew that she wanted to pursue a creative career, but she was not yet sure what would be her method of expression. In order to better understand her Jewish roots she first chose to move to Israel and study art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, located in Jerusalem, Israel, and architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, located in London, England. Yet, she felt that buildings were too static and found herself wondering about the lives of the people that lived inside them and decided to pursue a career within film instead. In 1987 she graduated from the National Film School of Denmark, located in Copenhagen
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Filmography

* Freud's Leaving Home (Freud Flytter Hjemmefra...) (1991)
* Family Matters (Det Bli'r i Familien) (1994)
* Like It Never Was Before (Pensionat Oskar) (1995)
* Credo (Sekten) (1997)
* The One and Only (Den Eneste Ene) (1999)
* Once in a Lifetime (Livet Ar en Schlager) (2000)



* Open Hearts (Elsker Dig for Evigt) (2002)
* Brothers (Brodre) (2004)
* After the Wedding (Efter Brylluppet) (2006)
* Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
* In a Better World (H?vnen) (2010)
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Award nomination

After the Wedding (2006), which she cowrote with Anders Thomas Jensen and also directed, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Her 2010 film In a Better World has been selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Source:wikipedia

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Elsker dig for evigt (2002)
Σ 'αγαπώ για πάντα (2002)


Cecilie is devastated when her fiance Joachim is seriously injured in a car accident and is paralysed from the waist down. She begins an affair with Niels, a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is being treated. Their relationship is further complicated by the fact that the doctor's wife Marie was the driver that caused the accident in the first place
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A Dogme film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident.
Enough has been said about the Dogme rules, and the many movies that have been made with the certificate. No matter if you like the concept or not, Dogme will always ad a great amount of realism into a movie. And in "Elsker Dig Forevigt"/"Open Heart" the realism is very strong. Probably stronger in any of the other Dogme-films I have seen.
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Even more realistic the movie gets from the acting, which is outstanding. I found Mads Mikkelsen a bit under-achieving in the beginning, but as the drama gets more intense – so does Mikkelsen. He is Niels, the soft, modern, Danish family-man, who is as good with the kids as he is with his job. Other of Mikkelsen's parts has been very far from that, not least playing Tonny in Refn's "Pusher" and "Pusher II".
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The wife of Niels, Marie, is well performed by Paprika Steen. Danish movies have had a reputation (in Denmark) that they are all dull, everyday-dramas with Paprika Steen in a leading role. "Elsker Dig..." has probably played a part in creating this reputation. It's not really fair, firstly because Danish movies are a lot more than that and secondly because Steen is really good. In "Elsker Dig…" she shows great dept in her acting, and in one of the best scenes in the movie Marie's 'house-wife-facade' breaks down, showing that Marie is a lot stronger than what you could have expected. It's a difficult scene, but Steen carries it out very well.
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As the third corner stone of the triangle Sonja Richter is the young woman C?cilie who's boyfriend Joachim (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is severely injured, when he gets run down by Marie, driving a bit too fast. The performances by Richter and Kaas are as spotless as they are outstanding.
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I have to comment on the children in this movie. It rarely works really well, because children aren't actors. But the teenage daughter of Niels and Marie, Stine (Stine Bjerregaard), has a lot to offer. She too has a big scene, again it works, and it's brilliant. The younger brothers, Gustav and Emil, works very good too. These kids aren't 'acting' they are 'living' their parts. Stop casting wonder-kids, and look this way!
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This thing is normally not my thing. But still I rated this movie high – because it is a good movie. I generally like realism in movies (which I guess this review unveils) and that is 100% here.
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Wach The Trailer HERE
SOURCE :the internet movie database
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Dogme 95 is an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting and theme, and excluding the use of elaborate special effects or technology.[1] They were later joined by fellow Danish directors Kristian Levring and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen, forming the Dogme 95 Collective or the Dogme Brethren. Dogme is the Danish word for dogma.
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The genre gained international appeal partly because of its accessibility. It sparked an interest in unknown filmmakers by suggesting that one can make a recognised film without being dependent on commissions or huge Hollywood budgets, depending on European government subsidies and television stations instead. The movement has been criticised for being a disguised attempt to gain media attention. Dogme was initiated to cause a stir and to make filmmakers and audiences re-think the art, effect and essence of filmmaking.

SOURCE :wikipedia