Akin by birth date and the wounds imposed on their youth, yet driven worlds apart by their adaptability and perceptions, Christian and Elias develop a friendship through happenstances that reveal the fragility of family ties, and challenge their willingness to forgive those who antagonize them. This film also addresses the consequences of adolescent exposure to bullying through enactments of both school-related and adult occurrences, and makes a moral statement that offers non-violent ideologies as a means of defeat.
In regards to the dual relevance of both film titles, "The Revenge" and "In A Better World," they both appeal to the ideological messages carried in the film, save for the possibility of ethnic/ linguistic variances that may cause non-Danish or non-Swedish viewers to misconstrue the underlying meanings in a title that appears simplistic. One can attribute the relevance of the Danish title to Claus' (Christian's father) advice to to his son about the perpetuity of violence and loss of dignity that revenge sets in motion, as well as to the similar advice that Anton offered to Elias in regards to Lars' boorish behavior. In any regard, titling dualities do not hinder the audience's grasp of the film's intent, nor do they diminish the film's overall excellence.
The effectiveness of acting styles in this film were very dependent upon body language and facial expressions for conveying the emotional content of each character's plight. Through lots of classical cutting and close-ups, the director tailored a version of reality that successfully focused on her ideological theme, while maintaining a fluid sense of humanity among the film's primary and secondary characters. Not surprisingly, an empathic reach into the harsh realities of adolescence is accomplished through the eyes of young amateur actors, and a deeper perspective of adult conflict emerges from portrayals of violence and apathy in our not-so-better world.
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