Remakes are fraught with danger, especially if the source material is strong. They need to add something to the mix to be relevant, it’s not enough to just hope that few have seen the original. In 2006 Danish Director Susanne Bier brought After The Wedding to the big screen and it was very well received. It even garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film for that year.
The basic story revolves around an orphanage in India that is in danger of going broke and the actions needed to keep it afloat. These efforts are filtered through a number of family secrets and coloured by how people deal with grief and betrayal. Things unfold layer by layer by layer.
The stats of the new version look promising with a cast that includes heavyweights like Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and Billy Crudup. The location for securing the needed funding has been changed to New York City and this emphasises the different worlds by contrasting Western opulence with the simplicity of India.
It’s in the human interaction when things go astray. The acting in this really lets it down. Moore is unusually shrill and over the top and Williams is disengaged and flat. There are a few scenes that work and engenders real pathos but they are sadly in the minority. Unfortunately mark this one down as lost in translation.
Rob Hudson
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After the Wedding | Trailer from Rialto Distribution on Vimeo.
