Morals are challenged in a 'World' that's dangerously close to turmoil

In the midst of all of the sequels, remakes and reboots that Hollywood is overwhelming us with today, movie-lovers tend to take refuge in some independent works. Those films offer us new visions as we watch the work of a director that hasn't quite gotten their name out yet. Foreign films can offer that as well, since they can also be favorable diversions from the usual Hollywood scene. But foreign films aren't as easy to find in your local cinema, because most people aren't as open to receive them. The subtitles and unfamiliar faces are usually the turn-offs. As a fan of foreign cinema, I usually have to rent that genre of film because of their limited distribution to our theaters. That's why having the chance to go to a press screening for Danish director Susanne Bier's latest film, In a Better World, was a huge treat. As expected in a foreign film, there was much originality in its story and emotional depth in the characters, all in a film about two worlds that are geographically and politically different, but socially and thematically similar. It's a cinematic breath of fresh air.

Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a doctor who commutes from his suburb in Denmark to his work in a refugee camp in Africa. His wife Marianne (Trine Dyrholm) have two young sons, and are considering getting a divorce. Their older, ten-year-old son Elias (Markus Rygaard) is tormented everyday at school. He is then defended by a new student, Christian (William Johnk), a boy who recently moved from London with his father, Claus (Ulrich Thomsen). Shortly before the move, Christian's mother had lost her battle with cancer, and he is deeply troubled by it. Elias and Christian form a friendship; but when Christian involves Elias in a risky act of revenge with possibly tragic results, their bond is put to the test and their lives are put in jeopardy.

Persbrandt is resonant as Anton, Elias's pacifist father. He is a man of admirable moral values. There are people that use their fists to solve their problems; but his character uses words and a gentle exterior. Anton is still a force to be reckoned with as he uses non-violence to defend his family and friends from those that do use violence. He is a protector, a peacekeeper, and a stone fortress. Everytime you witness him in a confrontation, you expect him to break after a while, but he doesn't. He never lets go of his ethics, even when he decides to help heal a warlord in Africa, where he is a doctor. He doesn't see his patients as good or bad, just as people.

Trine Dyrholm is just as strong-willed as the mother of the two boys. She is the more assertive half of the couple, and is the bigger victim of their impending separation. But she is a tough woman and is always ready to take care of her children when wrong has been done to them. Markus Rygaard and William Johnk come across as very experienced actors, despite their age. Their performances blur the line between childhood and adulthood. Elias and Christian suffer from violence and tragedy, and Rygaard and Johnk handle the material with a firm grip, and act with as much ripeness as their older co-stars. Elias's fraility and Christian's recklessness bring their friendship close to brotherhood because of how their bond can stay intact regardless of their polarizing attitudes.

The screenplay by Anders Thomas Jensen envisions two diverse worlds that are vulnerable to mayhem. It displays, to a strong effect, how violence in society can engulf even the most civilized communities. Jensen's narrative has the Denmark suburb facing the challenges of everyday life, and has the African village facing the terror of a warlord. Yet, his story thematically links these two places. It poses the question of whether or not we are all vulnerable to chaotic behavior, no matter where we reside. Traveling back and forth from Denmark to Africa, Anton is the visual link of these two worlds, the character that faces ethical tests in both locations. The audience can vision themselves as Anton and think about if they would be passive or aggressive in his same scenarios. The characters make good and bad decisions, face the consequences, and have their principles challenged. It all makes In a Better World a commendable morality tale.

Final grade: A

'127 Hours' shows the spirit of adventure and the triumph of the human spirit

One of the most thrilling recreational activities is a trip through nature. It gives you the freedom to go anywhere and do anything you want. It's exploration without limits. That's why when you watch a film where nature is a character itself, the viewer can relate to the nature they see, and grant it with some recognition of having tackled a landscape they see before them, be it a waterfall, a forest, or a vast desert. There's something about exploration that fuels our senses with adventure, and a film can do that to you as well. That's why Danny Boyle's latest film, 127 Hours (based on a true story), is a real nature piece. The audience takes the journey with its star, James Franco, and travels across the wilderness with him as he navigates the great outdoors and is faced with the most challenging of adventures: the will to survive.

Aron Ralston (James Franco) is an all-American nature boy. On a Friday evening in April 2003, he decides to leave home and spend the weekend exploring some canyons in the Utah wilderness. He finds some temporary company on his one-man trip when he meets two hikers, Megan and Kristi (Amber Tamblyn and Kate Mara). They relax in an underground hot spring, and then eventually part ways. Afterwards while climbing through a canyon, Aron gets his arm caught between a boulder and a canyon wall. The next five days will cause him to look back on his life and will test his ability to do the impossible.

Based on Ralston's autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, 127 Hours is a film that belongs to James Franco. His moving performance is one of the best of the year, in that he does a lot with his character, despite being stuck in one place for much of the film. What starts out as a journey of survival then also turns into a journey of reflection. Ralston tells much of his backstory via a handheld camera he places on the boulder. It is with this that we see why he is the adventure-hungry person he is, as well as his regrets and his flaws. All of his flashbacks are told with such lucidity that you get a true sense of his past, even though the flashbacks are only a couple of minutes long. He is exposed to us despite being confined from everything else. Even though we all know that Ralston survives his ordeal, watching him make his final video for his family is still melancholy and transfixing.

Danny Boyle and cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak use sweeping camera movements to capture the spirit of adventure felt by Aron as he bikes and hikes across the Utah canyons. Although areas of his travels are mostly dirt and rock, there's a certain beauty to be felt here as we examine the wonders of our own backyard. For Boyle and fellow screenwriter Simon Beaufoy to write a story that keeps the audience enraptured as the protagonist is trapped in one place for most of the movie is one of the biggest accomplishments in film this year. It's never boring or tedious. You learn his history and who he is as a person, all the while sitting in your seat with bated breath as you wait to see how far Aron would go to survive. Forget what you see on those nature-survival reality shows. 127 Hours is better, much better.

Final grade: A