Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

What can I say? Capone shames me with the number of films he reviewed this week. Makes me feel like a slacker, no matter how busy I’ve been:

Hey, all. Capone in Chicago here, trying to inject a little motherfucking culture in your life. Don't be scared of the subtitle, y'all.

If you asked me what my current favorite film-producing nation is today, I'd answer "Denmark" without hesitation. With what seems like a fairly small community of actors, writers and directors, the Danish filmmaking establishment has provided the world with some of the most fulfilling works in the past 10 years. Some of that is tied to the Dogme 95 movement, but even since that minimalist effort fizzled out, I've seen some devastatingly brilliant movies come out of Denmark. Probably the best known of all Danish actors right now (thanks to his wonderful turn as the most recent Bond villain in CASINO ROYALE) is Mads Mikkelsen. Go rent the recently released PUSHER trilogy or OPEN HEARTS (which Zak Braff has adapted to be his next directing effort) or WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF or THE GREEN BUTCHERS for proof of just how versatile this tall, handsome actor really is. Later this year, another one of his great performances will be featured in ADAM'S APPLES, which happens to be written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, the same man that wrote AFTER THE WEDDING, featuring what is probably Mikkelsen's best performance to date.

The film centers on Mikkelsen as Jacob, a good man who works at a sadly under-funded orphanage in Bombay. He's great with the kids, and they adore him right back. He is summoned to return to Denmark with the promise of much-needed funding, but only if he shows up in person to meet with the potential donor from a wealthy businessman (Rolf Lassgard). Since his trip will keep him in town for several days, the businessman invites Jacob to his daughter's wedding for an evening that seems like it will be pleasant and spirited. But once he arrives, Jacob sees that the mother of the bride is none other than an old girlfriend whom he hurt many years earlier. This seeming coincidence starts to look a little less random once Jacob starts doing the math on the timing of their breakup and the age of the young woman getting married.

As with many Danish films in recent years (especially those written by Jensen), no human emotion is left untapped. There are a few laughs in AFTER THE WEDDING, but the main focus of the piece is stripping away all of the protective fibers surrounding the raw nerve ending of your heart and soul and pummeling them with a sledgehammer. This doesn't sound like much of a party, I know, but this film is a emotional masterstroke of acting and rock solid direction from Susanne Bier (OPEN HEARTS). Many Danish works focus on the conflicts and unresolved issues that exist in every family, and this film is no exception as it dives headfirst into these dangerous waters, leaving no strained relationship undisturbed. If this film's title sounds familiar, that's because it was one of the five in contention for this year's Best Foreign Film Oscar, and if there was one of those titles I would have removed for something like BLACK BOOK, it would not have been AFTER THE WEDDING. Wholly gripping and flawlessly executed, this is one of the best films you're going to see for quite some time.

Capone