After the Wedding (Efter brylluppet)

"This film wants to be Festen. If you haven't seen it, it's a minor masterpiece made by Thomas Vinterburg and released in 1998. The English title is The Celebration and it's the first certified film made according to Dogme 95. It's also a hell of a lot more interesting to talk about than the mildly painful After the Wedding."

"Could easily have become unbearably sentimental and cliched. Instead, thanks to a tight script, sharp direction and excellent actors, new film by Danish helmer Susanne Bier manages to be both emotional and engaging..."

"A fine and, on a scene-by-scene basis, often better than fine, if effectively unadventurous work..."

"Once again Bier demonstrates just how misleading appearances can be, as she artfully removes the veneers concealing the dark truths locked away by her intriguing characters..."

"What feels at first like a quiet, straightforward picture builds into one of the richest and most satisfying of the year so far, in any genre or any language..."

"Potent Danish drama of skeletons falling out of family closets is occasionally deliberate but mostly mesmerising..."

"Evidently, this bloated piece of Oscar-nominated nonsense was a big hit in Denmark, which makes me think there's a glittering future in that otherwise discriminating country for several seasons of "Days of Our Lives."..."

"According to Danish director Susanne Bier, humanity resides between a rock and a hard place. Like her previous films (Open Hearts, Brothers), After The Wedding is an unabashed melodrama about a family torn apart by the randomness of life. As usual the performances are strong; Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) excelling as a sullen aid worker uprooted from India to confront his past. It's a good thing too as the plot is about as subtly orchestrated as a pop star's nuptials..."