En chance til

To say much about the plot of Suzanne Bier's film about parenthood would be to risk depriving it of its power - the less you know going in, the better. The film is a succession of well-timed punches to the gut, and the cast is good enough to make the characters' difficult choices understandable. Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau carries a lot of the weight of the film, but he's well-supported - May Andersen is impressive as Sanne in her first acting role, and Bier's previous collaborator Nikolaj Lie Kaas does well to avoid making his character a one-dimensional.

Not an easy watch by any means, and not an entertainment, but a very well-made and powerful social drama.

A very good movie. Powerful and unsettling. Very clever plot and great cast makes this an absorbing watch. Any spoilers will definitely spoil this movie so be very careful to avoid them in other reviews.

The moral dilemmas presented here are deep and disturbing. That said, very well handled as one would expect from the Danes.

Highly recommended.

This is one of those films that is very hard to give a synopsis about without doing a major plot reveal. Suffice to say it is about the choices we can make when faced with the 'unthinkable'. It is about how we are able to not only blur the line between right and wrong but also move it completely whilst still, self deceivingly, believing that you are still the good guy.

It is about a married couple Anna and her policeman husband Andreas and how they deal with their own tragedy. This is from director Susanne Bier who brought us 'In a Better World' and 'After the wedding'. She has a keen eye for direction and uses dramatic timing to ramp up the tension but also perfectly timed plot reveals – and there are a fair few here.

It is superbly acted with a striking performance from Maria Bonnevie as the new mum and wife. This is a film that trades on the reveals and twists and as such may not be one to see over again; but it is still powerful enough to recommend and indeed warrant at least one good viewing.

This is a really sad film, directed by one of the most prominent female Danish directors, Susanne Bier (''Brothers'', ''The Night Manager'', ''In a Better World'') and starring an all-star cast with names such as Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. There is also a brief appearance by Peter Haber, known mainly from the legendary ''Beck'' television series and the cinema adaptation of the first Stieg Larsson's novel in the ''Millenium'' trilogy (''The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo''). The story revolves around Andreas (Coster-Waldau), a police officer who is facing a tragedy in his personal life as he loses first his infant son in an accident and after awhile his wife commits suicide leaving him alone and desperate. Andreas will kidnap the son of a junkie couple and in a way, try to replace his dead offspring with the, neglected by his real parents, baby. This is a slow-burning movie which retains its suspense and interest as far as the main abduction plotline is concerned, but emphasizes on the characters' emotions and reactions, specifically focusing on Andreas tormented soul and the viewer finally identifies with a baby kidnapper, a difficult achievement for a crime film. Susanne Bier is an experienced and talented auteur who prompts the audience to ponder on the film's main themes, that is the question of what really is a good parent and the nature of grief as well as its dire consequences to the human beings. This is a film that will appeal mainly to European audiences and it is nothing like the typical films of the crime genre that the American audiences -mainly- are used to. So, if you are expecting tons of actions or high levels of suspense, better skip it. If, on the other hand, you believe that entertainment is something more than mere enjoyment, try to watch ''A Second Chance'' (original -Danish- title: ''En chance til'') pronto.

Great drama,thriller, I'm finding that these foreign films are so well crafted,...this is a hidden gem for sure.....