Double-movie date

In a Better World (Denmark - 2010)

special preview
The Skin I Live In (Spain - 2011)

The verdict: Two very different films with shared core interests on the effects of death of a loved one and the concept of an eye for an eye revenge........ with two very different results.

Susanne Bier's Oscar & Golden Globe winner, In a Better World might be as bleak as a Scandinavian film gets. It is, however, worth the admission just to see a pre-teen actor William Jøhnk Nielsen plays innocent evil with such depth beyond his years (who's soon to be seen in Lars von Trier's scripted A Royal Affair based on one of the most scandalous affairs in the Danish history.... Per Olov Enquist wrote the highly claimed historical based novel about it). But the film itself also offers a lot more. Morten Søborg's cinematography is mesmerisingly beautiful, in a lonesome, non-inquisitive yet perceptive kind of way, which reflects Bier's masterful storytelling technique so perfectly.

Almodóvar, on the other hand, seems to have lost his quirkiness when it comes to the art of storytelling or complex narrative he's known for. The Skin I Live In is a rare product of his to start with since it's based on a novel instead of the usual original screen play by the director. This is Almodóvar gone Hollywood and not in a good way. Even the 2 outrageous bodysuits designed by Jean Paul Gaultier can't spice things up (Gaultier did more sketches for the movie but they weren't used).  A Nip/Tuck gone bad, leaving so few traces of this enfant terrible of Spanish cinema. Extremely disappointing.