Sidse Babett Knudsen Movies

A multi-millionaire wants to know how much his money can really buy in this drama from Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Though born and raised in Denmark, Jacob Peterson (Mads Mikkelsen) has made a life for himself in India, where he runs an orphanage for homeless children. While Jacob cares little for money, raising funds is part of the responsibilities of his position, and when he learns that Jørgan (Rolf Lassgård), a wealthy Danish businessman, is willing to donate four million dollars under the condition that he meet with him in person, Jacob grudgingly hops a flight back home. Once in Denmark, Jørgan insists that Jacob attend the wedding of his daughter the next day; at the celebration he meets Jørgan's wife, Helene (Sidse Babett Knudsen), whom he recognizes as someone he knew many years ago. As Jacob finds himself revisiting a past he would prefer to forget, he discovers that Jørgan has an ulterior motive for bringing him to Denmark -- the wealthy man is in poor health, and while the donation will help ease some of his guilt over a life of avarice, he's also looking for someone to take over as Helene's husband after he dies. Efter Brylluppet (aka After the Wedding) received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Jonas Elmer made this black-and-white Danish movie by taking the funds provided for a short film and escalating the project economically into a full feature, commercially successful in Denmark. Julie (Sidse Babett Knudsen) taught her boyfriend Rene (Martin Kongstad) all about sex, but now she suspects him of seeing another woman. Unemployed Mogens (Bjarne Henriksen), who's occupied Julie's sofa for the past three years, watches soccer on Julie's TV-set with his buddies, including novelist wannabe Thomas and soccer fan Steffan (Nicolaj Kopernikus Christiansen). All have different agendas: Julie gets Steffan to help her break into Rene's place; Thomas uses binoculars to check out the babe across from Julie's apartment; and Mogens, who needs cash for soccer tickets, runs a scam on a recent widow to his later regret and shame. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

A young boy's tart tongue leads to a visit from one of the most powerful youth counselors of all in this comedy from Denmark. Twelve-year-old Dennis (Stefan Pagels Andersen) is still struggling emotionally after the death of his father, who fell from a roof while dancing for his son. Although Dennis' mother (Sidse Babett Knudsen) looks after him, the boy has been having a rough time, and he's developed the vocabulary of a longshoreman in an effort to seem tough. As Dennis struggles to find satisfaction in life, he's visited by God (Thomas Bo Larsen), who happens to look exactly like his late father. God informs him that his wishes can become realities, but first he has to meet one requirement -- he has to stop swearing so much. Dennis soon learns that this necessity is easier said (or not said) than done. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this Danish comedy, motel-owner Ford Fordson (Bent Warburg) gets iced in the motel's freezer. Cops Rosenkrantz (Steen Rasmussen) and Gyldenstjerne (Michael Wikke) investigate, interviewing an assortment of relatives, eccentric employees, and other oddballs. As they attempt to solve the mystery, connections and clues echo Othello, Hamlet, and other Shakespearean plays. Shown at the 1998 Gothenburg Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

In this French omnibus of two short films, the first, Thérapie Russe starts out as a comedy about the relationship between a depressed, sickly, vacillating, upper-class male and a rough-and-tumble worker from the Ukraine, but the comedy shifts gears and the film goes downhill when ghostly apparitions associated with the ex-wife of the wealthy hero begin to intrude. In the second and better film, Il y a Des Journées que Mériteraient qu'on Leur Casse la Gueule, Alain Beigel, Bruno Solo, and Alain Fromager have a lot of fun that is shared with the audience, especially in a bathing scene. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Adam's Apples screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen pens director Paprika Steen's darkly comic tale of an opera-obsessed cafeteria manager who works on a financially strapped ferry running between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Cafeteria manager Jan (Lars Brygmann) isn't the most likable of characters. Not only has his fixation on proper procedure isolated him from his co-workers, but even Jan's shrieking wife Anna (Sidse Babett Knudsen) can't find many redeeming qualities in her severely grating spouse. One night, after hiding out in the local opera house, Jan comes home to yet another battle with his embittered bride. The following day, Jan's life takes a wholly unexpected turn when the fed-up captain of the ferry grows tired of Jan's behavior and demands that the obnoxious employee seek professional help. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide