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Directed by Susanne Bier, After The Wedding is a provocative Danish film about love, family, and one’s duty to stand by those we love in the face of unforeseen challenges. The story’s primary character, Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen, Casino Royale), is Danish citizen working with orphans in India’s Bombay. As funding for his humanitarian efforts runs dry, he’s forced to meet with potential benefactor Jorgen (Rolf Lassgard) in an attempt to win his favor and secure funding for his struggling orphanage.

This rather straight-forward plot begins to twist uncomfortably as Jorgen’s demands seem to stretch farther and farther from the realm of what is reasonable and Jacob’s loyalties to his children in Bombay begins to conflict with his developing involvements with Jorgen and his family. The power of this film depends in large part on your not knowing the particulars in advance, so I’m doing my best to provide a guiding overview without any diffusing disclosures. Rest assured that several jolting story twists await the uninformed viewer, so your best bet is to avoid reading anything about the story details and just dive in.

Acting is superlative. Every performer comes across convincingly without the glare of typical Hollywood portrayals (this is Danish film, after all). As the film progresses, the emotional tension and discomfort ratchets tighter and tighter; expect to be squirming in your seats by the time the story arcs past its apogee. Also, be prepared to endure an unrelenting emotional onslaught; After The Wedding doesn’t stop to get gas… it careens down the highway at fast-lane speeds until it reaches its destination. If you enjoy films that leave you feeling affected and changed, in the kind of way that you “keep thinking about that movie” for several days after you watch it, buy this DVD or put it in your Netflix queue.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Despite the anamorphic widescreen presentation, the 1.85:1 image leaves much to be desired. The picture has vivid colors, but seems very dark overall. Even in full daylight scenes, the image is darker than it should be; it feels overcast even when it isn't. But the real disappointment was the overly- processed appearance that results in a very video-like character, lacking in fine detail, possessing an overabundance of digital glare (not exactly compression noise… more like digital processing smearing) and occasional edge halos. I know that sounds like a very harsh assessment and if you’re now about to click this review closed and ignore this release allow me to caution you to take these comments in context of a videophile assessment on very demanding gear. Even on a projection screen the image was more than watchable; it’s just that in comparison to how good DVD can really look, this mastering doesn’t score top marks.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 Danish soundtrack (with occasional English dialogue interspersed) is the only language option and it’s the only appropriate choice. This is the film's original language track and really the only one any serious viewer should be interested in hearing (the English subtitles and captions should satisfy the American viewer nicely). The film is a dialogue-driven drama and so the 5.1 palette isn’t really pushed to the limit, and it’s entirely appropriate just as it is; it serves the film well. Even with a very strong dialogue focus, the 5.1 mix does provide a very open sound that widens and deepens the soundstage far beyond a monaural experience. No complaints.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

A Conversation with Director Susanne Beir (23 minutes) is an English-subtitled Danish interview from 2006 with director Susanne Bier by movie critic Morten Piil. The early part of this feature focuses on After the Wedding and the remainder explores her feelings about the art of filmmaking. Anyone who enjoyed the film or wants to learn more about this impressive director and her work should investigate.

There are also eight deleted scenes (17 minutes) that are presented in an unusual fashion with an eight-minute featurette where movie critic Morten Piil discusses the deleted scenes with director Susanne Bier. All of the deleted scenes were edited for artistic reasons and not to appease the demands of running time or marketability by studio executives. Anyone who enjoyed the film will appreciate this brief discussion and the deleted scenes that follow, though naturally you should save exploring them until after you’ve watched the film.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.