After the Wedding (Efter Brylluppet) (2006) is a wonderfully touching Danish drama starring Mads Mikkelsen as Jacob Petersen, a middle-aged Dane living in Bombay, India while overseeing a struggling orphanage. Facing the imminent closure of the children's home due to financial hardship, Jacob is surprised to learn of a potential grant from a large Danish corporation that would keep his operation afloat.
On the condition that he meets with CEO Jørgen Hannson (Rolf Lassgård) in-person, Jacob reluctantly returns to Denmark to discuss the media conglomerate's impending reward. Hansson, however, is more interested in inviting Jacob to attend the wedding of his daughter Anna (Stine Fischer Christensen) the next day—a surprising turn for Jacob who is eager to return to Bombay. It's at Anna's wedding that Jacob comes face-to-face with his former lover Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen), who confesses a long-held secret that will alter Jacob's life forever.
Co-written and directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier (Brothers, In a Better World), After the Wedding is an emotionally raw tale of intertwining fates. Mikkelsen is as good as ever in his depiction of a kind-hearted altruist balancing his professional commitments with unexpected familial complexities. Kudos to Bier for crafting such a magnanimous illustration of personal discovery—a genuine heart-warmer and substantive foray into the more nuanced shades of human connectivity.
Watch the trailer: