Directed by:
Susanne BierScreenplay:
Anders Thomas JensenCinematography:
Michael SnymanComposer:
Johan SöderqvistCast:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Maria Bonnevie, Lykke May Andersen, Søs Egelind, Nastja Arcel, Benjamin Boe Rasmussen (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon lead vastly different lives; Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son; while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs. It all looks very routine – until Andreas finds the couple's infant son, crying in a closet. The usually collected policeman finds himself confronted with his own powerlessness and is shaken to his core. As Andreas slowly loses his grip on justice, it suddenly becomes up to the unruly Simon to restore the balance between right and wrong. “A Second Chance” is a shocking, moving and thrilling drama about real people forced into incredible circumstances. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (5)
An emotionally intense drama with a strong ethical overlay and a completely insane plot involving a child swap. Nicely filmed, brilliantly acted, and the ethereal music also leaves nothing to be desired. However, it's only for strong-hearted viewers; some shots of the neglected baby are truly shocking in terms of humanity... (85%)
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Acting-wise, it's probably the strongest line-up we can find up north. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from Game of Thrones is a very big draw, and add to that Ulrich Thomsen from Banshee and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, who is currently leading the Nordic crime quadralogy, whose latest effort, The Purity of Vengeance, opens in cinemas in just four days. A Second Chance is a stiffing, uncomfortable, authentic drama-thriller that especially for parents (mothers) will not be very enjoyable to watch. The film focuses on two families, one drug addicted socially deprived, the other well off but their luck is not very good. I must say that it is a really powerful film that is not afraid to show scenes that we don't normally see in cinema – the scene where the toddler is lying on the toilet covered in feces and urine was more than shocking. The direction, writing and acting were flawless and supported with a very bleak atmosphere. 80%
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Thinking about it is dangerously harmless, crossing it is difficult, and living with it is excruciating for those with a conscience. This is a Rubicon, where the crossing is filled with a current of ethical questions. It's intense yet detached in a Nordic way, with a script that sometimes leaves the actors to fend for themselves. Perhaps that’s why, among the sleazy junkie, the deeply suffering, and the less suffering, the one who stands out the most is the one with the least attractive role (Ulrich Thomsen). It's not the kind of second chance discussed by moms on e-Baby, so you won’t find their advice or add your own experiences to the discussion.
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I would definitely not recommend the film to pregnant women, expectant mothers, aspiring mothers, or mothers trying to conceive, as the realistic mannequin of a dead infant rolls in front of the camera quite often; I was disappointed that underneath the initial shock value there is basically a pretty conventional drama. The problem is the admittedly quite interestingly paced but totally chewed to the bone script, which doesn't really do more than move the plot along in any one scene. Thus, the individual characters are merely variables in a geometric proof, into which we don't see more than the multiple-day plot needs. It's the protagonist who takes the brunt of it, and he's not easy to relate to because we don't know if he's a sensitive, loving father and husband or a pragmatic sociopath. Which it seems was not the intention. Some may find it the opposite of a coherent screenplay; I found it a poor cinematic adaptation of one.
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Quite an interesting story about how one detective gets involved in a case involving a family of drug addicts and ends up taking away more from it than one might expect at first glance. This really isn't something you see every day. I found the film original and well acted, with Nikolaj Lie Kaas in particular showing his versatility. Very raw yet accessible.
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