McBuff Review of Open Hearts

Open Hearts (2002)

High quality drama with great sense of humor. (Spoilers)

[8/10 · 9 September 2002]

Susanne Bier hits all the right notes in her first "Dogme 95"-film, which on paper may look quite conventional (an engaged couple is torn apart when he is paralyzed in a horrible accident, and she falls in love with the doctor husband of the woman who caused the accident), but exceptional acting, writing and directing lift this drama way above average. Lead actor Mads Mikkelsen as the doctor is good as usual, newcomer Sonja Richter as Cæcilie is a talent to watch, Paprika Steen (in her 4th Dogme film) is excellent as his wife, Nikolaj Kaas gives one of his best performances as the bitter quadroplegic and every character is given a voice in this highly charged emotional drama, written by the director and the ubiquitous Anders Thomas Jensen, who adds his trademark sharp, funny dialogue and avoids the worst clichés of the genre. Realistic and gripping, with the rather redundant Dogme label its only liability, this is one of the best Danish films of 2002. Some may find its deliberate pace and stylistics a drawback, but rewarding for a mature audience. ***½