Open Hearts (Elsker Dig For Evigt) (2002)
93%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: 12 wins & 12 nominations
Open Hearts is a film that demands the viewer’s full attention, as it explores the complexities of human relationships and the unpredictable nature of life. Susanne Bier’s direction is masterful, capturing the subtle nuances of her characters’ emotions with a keen eye. The film’s four lead actors deliver powerful performances, bringing to life the heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and redemption. While some may find the lack of a happy ending unsettling, Open Hearts is a poignant reminder that life is messy and unpredictable, and that sometimes the only way to move forward is to embrace the pain and uncertainty that comes with it. Overall, this is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll, and a testament to the power of cinema to capture the complexities of the human experience.
Open Hearts is a movie that will make you feel all the feels. It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions, but instead of screaming, you’ll be crying. The story is heart-wrenching, and the characters are so well-acted that you’ll feel like you know them personally. It’s not a movie for the faint of heart, but if you’re up for a good cry, then Open Hearts is the perfect movie for you. Just make sure you have a box of tissues nearby!
Production Company(ies)
Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Les Films, Marceau
Distributor
Newmarket Film Group
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Fælledparken, Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and sexuality
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 53m
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Language(s):Danish
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Country of origin:Canada
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 21, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2020
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen, Stine Bjerregaard, Birthe Neumann, directed by Susanne Bier, written by Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen, drama, R rating, box office gross $122.3K, reviewed by Steve Murray, Alexander Walker, Jay Boyar, C.W Nevius, Nev Pierce, Kimberley Jones, David Walsh, Mark Halverson, Emanuel Levy, MPAA rating, produced by Vibeke Windeløv, Jonas Frederiksen, low-budget, tragedy, hospital, affair, moral support, paralysis, emotional, gritty, raw, human emotion, Danish, Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Surround, Academy (1.33:1)
Worldwide gross: $1,692,272
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,806,739
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,330
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 306,078
US/Canada gross: $136,170
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $225,846
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,524
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,224
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $23,591
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,455
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Nikolaj Lie Kaas – Joachim
Mads Mikkelsen – Niels
Paprika Steen – Marie
Stine Bjerregaard – Stine
Birthe Neumann – Hanne
Director – Susanne Bier
Producers – Vibeke Windeløv, Jonas Frederiksen
Writers – Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen
Sound Mix – Dolby Stereo, Dolby SR, Dolby A, Surround
Aspect Ratio – Academy (1.33:1)
Distributor – Newmarket Film Group
Director(s)
Susanne Bier
Writer(s)
Susanne Bier, Anders Thomas Jensen
Producer(s)
Vibeke Windeløv, Jonas Frederiksen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
12 wins & 12 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (54) | Rotten (4)
A small-scale domestic drama with large-scale feeling.
April 27, 2003 | Rating: B+
Steve Murray
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TOP CRITIC
Susanne Bier’s film is a pretty ordinary chapter of everyday sin and, it has to be admitted, pretty misery-making.
April 5, 2003
Alexander Walker
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Open Hearts is far from inaccessible, but it demands a higher level of concentration than most big-budget movies do. The drama exists in a glance or a nod, or in a slight hesitation in speech.
April 4, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
There is no doubting the heart-rending impact of the story. But because it is made clear from the start that there is no chance of an uplifting ending, viewers may grow restless.
March 28, 2003 | Rating: 2/4
C.W. Nevius
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Acutely observed and beautifully written.
March 23, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Nev Pierce
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Open Hearts’ four lead characters (subtly, wonderfully played) shatter, then piece themselves back together before our eyes.
March 23, 2003 | Rating: 4/5
Kimberley Jones
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Open Hearts lacks spontaneity … because it is not essentially taken from life, but constructed in order to prove the filmmaker’s superficial premise, that human circumstances and the human heart are beyond comprehension.
February 16, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
Absent of nihilism, this nonetheless is a love triangle film with all the darkness and pain and love and longing that goes into these complex, adult relationships.
June 21, 2007 | Rating: A-
Jason Gorber
Film Scouts
August 17, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Arguably, the dogma movement has found its most accomplished expression to date in Open hearts.
February 16, 2005
Boyd van Hoeij
european-films.net
Reminds me of the best of Bergman’s chamber dramas. Nerves are exposed, hearts opened and emotions bared, all under Bier’s X-ray cameras.
February 9, 2004
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly…
Plot
After her fiancé is paralyzed in a car accident, Cecilie begins an affair with the doctor who treated him, only to discover that his wife was responsible for the crash in “Open Hearts.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Niels in the film, is now a famous actor.
Susanne-Bier.jpg
