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Open Hearts

Open Hearts (2002)

January. 01,2003
|
7.5
| Drama Romance

Cecilie and Joachim are about to get married when a freak car accident leaves Joachim disabled, throwing their lives into a spin. The driver of the other car, Marie, and her family don’t get off lightly, either. Her husband Niels works in the hospital where he meets Cecilie and falls madly in love with her.

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Reviews

anniemarshallster
2003/01/01

1. If your ex-lover turns up drunk at your door in Denmark he is going to cry rather than beat the hell out of you - EXCELLENT. 2. You can leave your car unlocked at the scene of an accident in Copenhagen and it and the contents will still be there in good working order several weeks later - Excellent. 3. Medical care in Denmark is to a very high standard - EXCELLENT. 4. There is a lot of mackeral served at hospital staff canteens - OKAAAY. 5. It is still pitch dark at breakfast time - NOT EXCELLENT. Now that I've got the cultural differences out of the way this is one of those perfect little films which are an object lesson in acting from every member of the cast, to say nothing of a subtle script and sensitive direction of course. When you have diamonds (Mads Mikkelsen)you don't surround them with zircons and so every performance is strong - particularly the actress playing the wife who is a perfect foil for the nuanced performance of Mikkelsen. Note - woman director, another cultural point in its favour.

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dfwforeignbuff
2003/01/02

Open Hearts (2002) Elsker Dig For Evigt. ("I'll Love You for Ever" or "Eternal Love" are better titles than "Open Hearts") Open Hearts (Danish: Elsker dig for evigt), (2002), is a gritty Danish drama directed by Susanne Bier using the minimalist film-making techniques of the Dogme 95 style. It stars Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Sonja Richter and Paprika Steen. Also referred to as Dogme #28, Open Hearts relates the story of two young couples whose lives are traumatized by a tragic car accident and adultery. Cecilie is devastated when her fiancé Joachim is seriously injured in a car accident and is paralyzed 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 I have recently seen 2 of Susan Biers other films. I was not aware she had made a Dogma95 film. As I stated in reviews of her other films I am generally not a great fan of melodramas. I am a great fan of melodramas by Susan Bier. Her films make that magical transformation into REAL life (lives) and living (and dying). Open Hearts was filmed with video cameras--almost like the expert connoisseurs home movie. A young couple has plans for getting married. Joachim (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Cecilie (Sonja Richter) Fate intervenes when Joachim steps in from of a car (accidentally) and is hit and paralyzed never to walk again or movie his hands. Susan Biers films do not use sentimentality but go directly to the emotions of the human heart when dealing with her protagonists. Joachim does not accept his fate well- rejecting his girlfriend and hurling anger at all around him. The films craftsmanship is evident and honest emotions and interactions are tackled very directly by Bier. The film is emotionally dark and bleak look at the 2 main characters. Things go for even a more spin of fate as the girlfriend makes a strange involvement with the husband of the woman who actually caused the accident. the film streams on to its gut wrenching heart rendering end. There is a resolution of sorts and here at the very end the movie but that resolution was weak for me. I have put in my queue every film by Susan Bier. Highly Recommended--but be aware this is not general entertainment movie viewing. This movie will make you feel -think- cry and more. It is a very powerful film. hats off to Biers. Certainly one of the best films of 2002. Bier skillfully captures the feeling of real emotions that extreme trauma creates within the lives of the characters in her film. five stars highest recommendation.

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k-barton1
2003/01/03

Having just watched this film, I had to write something. Totally stunned by the film and its depth. The acting was superb, with totally believable characters involved with an amazing script. I would rate this as probably the most impacting film I have watched. I would recommend watching this film with a loved one. Don't miss any chance to watch this.The music score is first class, and fits exactly with the tone of the film. Having not seen the actors before, my next task will be to find out what else they and the director have been involved with, in the hope that another gem exists of similar quality.

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kostprober69
2003/01/04

I am not very much into dogma movies - but this one is really worth looking. As always, the danish acting is superb (by the way: can anybody explain me, why actors from Denmark are so convincing every time?) I also liked the open ending, which doesn't pretend to find a solution to a nearly unsolvable problem. Furthermore, the beginning was gorgeous. Susanne Bier presents her characters in slightly normal situations - but yet that charming and vivid, you just have to love the young couple. And so you also will suffer from the incident and its consequences for them. Another interesting aspect is, that there is absolutely no antagonist in this movie - and, surprise, surprise: you won't miss one! All the characters have two sides, are protagonist and antagonist at the same time - just like in real life!

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