Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
In a Better World
MEANRANK
76/100
Every rating
Mostly agreed
Lowest is Metacritic critics on 65, highest is Rotten Tomatoes viewers on 86.
See the most agreed on films →The lives of two Danish families intersect. Anton is a doctor who works at an African refugee camp, struggling with the violence he witnesses there. Back in Denmark, his son Elias is bullied at school until he befriends Christian, a new boy filled with anger over his mother's recent death. The film explores how these characters grapple with revenge, forgiveness, and moral ambiguity, as the boys' desire for retribution escalates into dangerous territory.
Details
- Director
- Susanne Bier
- Writers
- Anders Thomas Jensen, Susanne Bier
- Studio
- Zentropa Entertainments
- Released
- 26 August 2010
- Country
- Denmark, Sweden
- Language
- Danish
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rated
- R
- Budget
- $15.0M
- Box office
- $13.0M
- Awards
- 2 wins, 11 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (41) →
Awards & nominations
See all 13 →1 major award won · 2 wins from 13 nominations across 3 ceremonies
| 83rd Academy Awards 2011 | Best International Feature Film | Winner | |
| International Submission to the Academy Awards 2011 | International Submission to the Academy Awards | Denmark | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best Film | Anders Thomas Jensen | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best Film | Sisse Graum Jørgensen | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best Screenwriter | Anders Thomas Jensen | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best European Film | Susanne Bier | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best Actor | Mikael Persbrandt | Nominee |
| 24th European Film Awards 2011 | Best European Film | Trine Dyrholm | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
MCU canon explained: the main timeline, other universes and the TV shows
Daredevil counts. Alternate universes are not automatically non-canon. A practical guide to Marvel continuity without treating every cameo as a blanket answer.
29 October 2026
Why Batman works without superpowers—and when the films forget why
Fear, money, detective work and moral limits: four Batman films test what makes Bruce Wayne worth watching.
29 October 2026
Five great directorial debuts, ranked for what is already on screen
Citizen Kane, The 400 Blows, Get Out, Reservoir Dogs and Following: first features judged without borrowing greatness from the careers that followed.
29 October 2026
TV shows with Black female leads: four series worth arguing about
Insecure, Queen Sugar, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, ranked for character writing, dramatic range and the lives they make room for.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Full cast — In a Better World
×
13 awards — In a Better World
×| Best International Feature Film | Winner |
| International Submission to the Academy Awards | Denmark | Nominee |
| Best Director | Susanne Bier | Winner |
| Best Actor | Mikael Persbrandt | Nominee |
| Best European Film | Susanne Bier | Nominee |
| Best European Film | Trine Dyrholm | Nominee |
| Best European Film | Anders Thomas Jensen | Nominee |
| Best European Film | Mikael Persbrandt | Nominee |
| Best European Film | Ulrich Thomsen | Nominee |
| Best Film | Anders Thomas Jensen | Nominee |
| Best Film | Sisse Graum Jørgensen | Nominee |
| Best Film | Susanne Bier | Nominee |
| Best Screenwriter | Anders Thomas Jensen | Nominee |