After the Wedding (2007)

Transplanted Dane, Jacob Peterson (Mads Mikkelsen) runs a struggling orphanage in one of India’s poorest regions. Fiercely devoted to his charges, Jacob considers all Westerners criminally spoiled, so it’s only thanks to the intensity of his commitment that he entertains his boss’s plea to return to Denmark to meet with a wealthy entrepreneur who may be willing to save their orphanage with a $4 million donation.

Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Jørgen (Rolf Lassgård) lives a near-idyllic life with his wife and children. A savvy businessman he is also an ideal father – indeed, he is indulgent almost to a fault. However, he cancels the meeting Jacob has travelled so far to attend in a strangely perfunctory manner, then insists they discuss things at his daughter’s wedding the next day. This sparks a chain of events that changes all of their lives forever.

As layers of deceit are exposed and histories drawn out, we ponder who actually has everyone’s best interests in mind: the stubborn millionaire determined to place his family first, or the guild-ridden altruist who has heaped so much importance on what he considers the general good.