>I’m about to run off to the airport, but I just had to say something about today’s release (in Toronto) of After the Wedding. Susanne Bier’s masterpiece film, which I had the opportunity to watch at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, falls incontestably in my top ten movies of 2006, and features one of Mads Mikkelsen’s best performances of his career. Admittedly, I’ve always been a fan of Danish cinema, and Bier’s Open Hearts is on my list of films everyone should watch at least once, but it is with After the Wedding that I think mainstream North American audiences will finally see the power of Bier’s work.

Basically the story of a man who returns to Denmark to confront the ghosts of his past, After the Wedding is much more than its plot. The acting and the pacing are exquisite, and this movie is a wonderful way for Susanne Bier to show of her adeptness with both the camera and with the written word. Sure, a lot gets lost if you don’t speak Danish or Swedish and are left to read subtitles, but even then you get a glimpse of the intricate craftsmanship that went into making this film.

I was scared that After the Wedding wouldn’t get a limited release here in Canada, but now that it is screening in Toronto and other select theaters across North America, I strongly urge you all to go watch the film. And email me while I’m out in Europe and let me know what you thought. I’ll need something to pass the time in the lonely hotel nights.