"Open Hearts" is a film I decided to see simply because Mads Mikkelsen starred in the movie. He's done some incredibly impressive films-- including three films nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar! However, the movie itself is the sort of thing I usually wouldn't watch, as it's about adultery and I am a VERY traditional man and was afraid the film might glamorize the affair. Fortunately, it did not and the film is well worth seeing.The film has a difficult to believe plot. However, because it is well directed and acted, it works. It begins with a young couple becoming engaged and looking forward to a married life. However, one day the man gets out of his car and is struck by another car. The guy is nearly killed and ends up being a quadriplegic! Now here's the odd part. The driver's husband (Mikkelsen) works at the hospital and over time he and the fiancée (Sonja Richter) become intimate. Soon they are having an affair and he is having a hard time keeping it secret. What's next? See the film. This film is supposedly from a director from the Dogma 95 movement-- Susanne Bier. However, the film does not completely conform to the unusual and rigid 'manifesto' that Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg created as the Bible, so to speak, of these style films. While it's very much like a Dogma 95 film in some ways (its extensive use of the hand-held camera, the use of natural settings and not sets as well as that the story is about normal folks in the present), it's also quite unlike a Dogma film (such as using grainy black & white footage during one small portion, the use of fake blood and some of the music is not naturally occurring background music). My attitude is who cares?! As long as the film is well made and engaging, that's what is important. While this isn't as good as the Bier/Mikkelsen collaboration "After the Wedding", it is a superior film. It's just too bad that there is some nudity throughout the film because I actually think it's a great film for teens to see as the object lesson I took from it is that there are consequences for an affair--good and definitely bad.

Life is fragile, and an event lasting less than a minute can change dozens of lives for a long time - or even forever. Such as lottery..., or an accident triggering the events depicted in Elsker dig for evigt. In spite of certain predictability, it is gripping to follow the characters, how they "face their challenges", meet new circumstances... Of course, the main cast - Sonja Richter as Cecilie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Joachim, Mads Mikkelsen as Niels, Paprika Steen as Marie - is evenly very strong, adding the often gloomy and painful topic with colour and vitality. The ending, however, could have with more sophisticated.Thus, 7 points for the script, 9 for directing and acting. Recommended to all fond of Dogme 95, Susanne Bier and the above mentioned actors.

1. If your ex-lover turns up drunk at your door in Denmark he is going to cry rather than beat the hell out of you - EXCELLENT. 2. You can leave your car unlocked at the scene of an accident in Copenhagen and it and the contents will still be there in good working order several weeks later - Excellent. 3. Medical care in Denmark is to a very high standard - EXCELLENT. 4. There is a lot of mackeral served at hospital staff canteens - OKAAAY. 5. It is still pitch dark at breakfast time - NOT EXCELLENT. Now that I've got the cultural differences out of the way this is one of those perfect little films which are an object lesson in acting from every member of the cast, to say nothing of a subtle script and sensitive direction of course. When you have diamonds (Mads Mikkelsen)you don't surround them with zircons and so every performance is strong - particularly the actress playing the wife who is a perfect foil for the nuanced performance of Mikkelsen. Note - woman director, another cultural point in its favour.

I'm not going to explain what the rules of Dogme 95 actually are. If you want to know them, you can look for it on the internet. All I want to say about it is that they were made by Lars Von Trier and that should already be enough for the people who know something about European cinema, to know what this movie will be like. Fact is that I like the concept behind the Dogme 95 movies, even though the directors don't always follow the rules very strictly. The main reason why I like them is because they make honest and truthful movies. Not using any big explosions or big action shots, the stories and the acting are the main stars in these movies and that's something that you won't find very often in a Hollywood production.In this movie we follow several people whose lives are devastated after one incident. Cecilie's life seems to be perfect, she is happy and will soon marry with her fiancé Joachim. But than he is seriously injured in a car accident, caused by Marie. He is paralyzed from the neck down and all he can do is talk and eat. Because he can't cope with that, he tells Cecilie that he never wants to see her again, breaking her hearth several times, just to be sure that she will never ever return to him. In the hospital where Joachim is treated, Cecilie meets Niels, a doctor at the hospital and Marie's husband. He offers Cecilie to help her in this difficult times, but it doesn't take long before they fall in love and start an affair, which of course breaks up Niels' family...I'm a great fan of European cinema and in my opinion the Scandinavian movies are one of the best. They know very well how to make movies that don't seem very complicated or original at first, but that will blow you away once you have seen it all. And it's exactly the same with "Elsker dig for evigt" It's very hard not to be touched by it and I really wouldn't understand it if there are many people who don't like it. Next to the good story I also liked the acting. Like so often with Scandinavian actors, I haven't heard of most of them before, but they give away an excellent performance. Add to this some nice camera work and you know that you've got a movie that should be seen by a larger public. This isn't a very complicated movie, but the story is very recognizable and touching, making it an easy accessible movie. But don't be mistaken by it. It will, without any doubt, have a deep impact on you once you've seen it. And I'm pretty sure that many people will have difficulties to keep their eyes dry from time to time. Anyway, I really liked this movie and in my opinion it doesn't deserve a score lower than 7.5/10. Even an 8/10 isn't too high for this movie if you ask me.