This film just came out on DVD and I rented it knowing it had won an Oscar but w/o any knowledge of the plot, the reviews or the director. I found it awfully pretentious, unbelievable, without an ounce of truth and contrived in order to send a global moral message a la Babel (ironically, this film beat Biutiful). But contrary to Inarritu, Bier strives to provide us with a happy ending to reinforce and feed on our Western's comfortable view of the world, with 30 of the silliest minutes ever put on film at the end. If you don't mind being lectured with an unbelievable story, and want to feel that in the end everything will be OK then by all means watch this film. You can predict the big dramatic scene (not the one in Africa, which I did not find believable) 20 minutes away. This film about suffering blonde blue-eyed European doctors and well-to-do people and their sons has no relevance to my life or to the lives of most. And the boy-knows-it-all-psychopath was also unbelievable and not likable. All in all, this a manipulative, insulting film, made by someone who perhaps has good intentions but lacks talent, is full of herself and is totally out of touch with the reality of most people.
Review of In a Better World
