Director Susanne Bier said : " Our experiment in this film is about looking at how little it really takes before a child – or an adult – thinks something is deeply unjust . It really does n't take much , and I find that profoundly interesting . And scary . " Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 77 % out of 114 professional critics gave the film a positive review , with the site consensus stating that " '' In a Better World '' is a sumptuous melodrama that tackles some rather difficult existential and human themes . " On Metacritic the film has a score of 65 out of 100 based on reviews from 29 critics , indicating " generally favorable reviews . " Kim Skotte called the film a " powerful and captivating drama " in '' Politiken '' . Out of the four collaborations between Jensen and Bier , he considered '' In a Better World '' to be the one most similar to Jensen 's solo films and compared the combination of biblical themes and high entertainment value to Jensen 's 2005 film '' Adam 's Apples '' . Skotte also praised the acting performances : " Mighty Mikael Persbrandt shows that he is Scandinavia 's most charismatic actor right now . Trine Dyrholm 's scenes are fewer , but in a split second she can dramatise the canvas to make the throat lace itself . Also Ulrich Thomsen is good as grief-stricken single father . With her successful directing of the two boys Markus Rygaard and William Jøhnk Nielsen , Bier adds a new chapter to her already extensive resumé of top tuned skills . " Peter Nielsen of '' Dagbladet Information '' called '' In a Better World '' " in all ways a successful film " , and although there " is no doubt that Susanne Bier can tell a good story " , he was not entirely convinced : " She can seduce , and she can push the completely correct emotional buttons , so that mothers ' as well as fathers ' hearts are struck , but she does n't earnestly drill her probe into the meat . " On 19 January 2011 , it made the short list for Best Foreign Language Film and on 25 January , it was selected as one of the final five nominees and won as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards . The film also won for Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Golden Globe Awards . Additionally , it won :
68th Golden Globe Awards
68th Golden Globe Awards
In a Better World