I wasn't sure about seeing this film, but ignoring the critics, as usual, made me realize how much of an oversight it was to miss it. It comes from the director of the Oscar-winning 'In a Better World,' and after that successful film which launched her international career, things haven’t always gone so well, including one Hollywood project. So she returned home and created this Danish thriller-drama. The screenplay is exceptionally strong, but has flaws; however, these were cleverly resolved as the story progressed, making you question your initial assessment. It wasn't adapted from a book, though it could easily inspire one. This concerns 'the good' and 'the bad,' and what happens when 'the good' becomes very bad—what choices will 'the bad' make then? We follow a comfortable middle-class couple who would do anything for their newborn baby, alongside another couple struggling with drug addiction whose child is being neglected. When tragedy strikes one of these families, the nightmare begins for the other. A series of events unfolds as they all strive to get a second chance. You have to see it to believe what people are capable of when pushed to desperation. As the title and tagline suggest, the plot is carefully and intensely developed in the first act. This section requires close attention to understand the characters, which is noticeably slower than the rest of the film. The second half accelerates as everything moves toward a single direction, with a few unexpected twists thrown in. These moments feel both surprising and strangely familiar—you won't anticipate what’s coming, but it happens anyway. I think that was quite clever, especially considering how the actors delivered powerful performances which balanced the pace and content of the film well. "People look different when they are dead. That's just how it is." It didn't receive any major international awards or contend for Oscars, but the film is still worth watching. Regardless of what critics say, this is one of the best films of the year. As I mentioned, the story might seem simplistic on paper, but the filmmakers presented it beautifully onscreen. I wouldn’t be surprised if remakes were made in other languages, including Hollywood. After the strong development in the middle section, the ending felt somewhat ordinary. It jumps forward a couple of years with one final short scene before the credits roll, which leaves you feeling good. That was a nice way to conclude after the shock the story delivered. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau commanded the screen and didn’t disappoint; if this film were to win an award, he should be at the top of the list, followed by the direction and screenplay. On one of the posters, he bears a striking resemblance to the current James Bond—the film is far better than the impression the poster gives. His co-stars performed well too. There’s sentimentality present, but it's not very effective; this lack of melodrama is a significant drawback. A theme like this could have benefited from developing that aspect further to make the overall film even stronger. The characters sometimes feel secondary because the subject matter takes precedence. Consequently, viewers are often preoccupied with what will happen next rather than connecting with the characters—and that’s due to the neutrality. As I said earlier, when 'the good' is as bad as 'the bad,' everything ends in an equal position, and you might stop supporting anyone in particular. There are many films like this, but this one feels refreshing and very realistic. I definitely recommend it. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. 8/10

Source on TMDB