Open Hearts (2002 film)
Encyclopedia
Open Hearts is a 2002 Danish
drama film directed by Susanne Bier
using the minimalist filmmaking techniques of the Dogme 95
manifest. It stars Mads Mikkelsen
, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
, Sonja Richter
and Paprika Steen
. Also referred to as Dogme #28, Open Hearts relates the story of two couples whose lives are traumatized by a tragic car accident and adultery. Joachim, a young man, is disabled and hospitalized indefinitely by a car accident after being hit by Marie. Marie's husband Niels is a doctor at the hospital, and he falls for Joachim's fiancee Cecilie, and they have an affair. Niels then leaves his wife, teenage daughter and two young boys for Cecilie, who abandons Joachim.
Open Hearts received a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes movie review website with a 93% approval rating from the top critics. Susanne Bier received the International Critics Award at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival
"for the fact that it proves that dogma has come of age and matured into a potent cinematic language that skillfully captures the freeing of real emotions that extreme trauma creates within the lives of the characters in her film." The film won both the Bodil and Robert
awards for Best Danish Film in 2003.
songs were recorded by Anggun
and released by Sony Music in 2002. The soundtrack album contained nine songs with hit single "Open Your Heart".
. It will be the second film Braff will direct, after his successful 2004 film Garden State
.
It was first revealed that Zach Braff was planning to remake Open Hearts in 2006, at the same time Braff's film The Last Kiss
was being released. The film will be produced by Paramount Pictures
.
On his blog, Zach Braff announced that directing the film had been delayed due to his show Scrubs
being renewed.. The production of the film has been put in limbo
several times due to Braff returning to film the seventh and eighth seasons of Scrubs, and in 2006 it was revealed that Braff had put the project on hold for a year after difficulties surrounding casting.
The picture was to be filmed in New Jersey
, Braff's home state and location of Garden State
, in the summer of 2006. This date has been changed but the location is to remain the same.
Cinema of Denmark
Denmark has been producing films since 1897 and since the 1980s has maintained a steady stream of product due largely to funding by the state-supported Danish Film Institute. Historically, Danish films have been noted for their realism, religious and moral themes, sexual frankness and technical...
drama film directed by Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier
Susanne Bier is a Danish film director best known for her feature films Brothers, After the Wedding and the Academy-Award-winning In a Better World.-Life and work:Susanne Bier was born to Jewish parents in Copenhagen, Denmark...
using the minimalist filmmaking techniques of the Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
manifest. It stars Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen
' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Nikolaj Lie Kaas is a prominent Danish actor whose career rose in the 1990s and who is still actively working today. He is also the host of the annual Zulu Comedy Galla on Danish TV....
, Sonja Richter
Sonja Richter
Sonja Richter is a Danish actress. She is probably the best known for her performance in 2002 film Open Hearts by Susanne Bier, for which she was nominated for Bodil Award and Robert Award....
and Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen
Paprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
. Also referred to as Dogme #28, Open Hearts relates the story of two couples whose lives are traumatized by a tragic car accident and adultery. Joachim, a young man, is disabled and hospitalized indefinitely by a car accident after being hit by Marie. Marie's husband Niels is a doctor at the hospital, and he falls for Joachim's fiancee Cecilie, and they have an affair. Niels then leaves his wife, teenage daughter and two young boys for Cecilie, who abandons Joachim.
Open Hearts received a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes movie review website with a 93% approval rating from the top critics. Susanne Bier received the International Critics Award at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
"for the fact that it proves that dogma has come of age and matured into a potent cinematic language that skillfully captures the freeing of real emotions that extreme trauma creates within the lives of the characters in her film." The film won both the Bodil and Robert
Robert Award
The Robert statue is a Danish film prize awarded each year by the Film Academy of Denmark. It is the Danish equivalent of the American Oscars. The award, voted only by academy members, is acknowledgement by Danish industry colleagues of a person's or film's outstanding contributions during the...
awards for Best Danish Film in 2003.
Cast
- Sonja RichterSonja RichterSonja Richter is a Danish actress. She is probably the best known for her performance in 2002 film Open Hearts by Susanne Bier, for which she was nominated for Bodil Award and Robert Award....
as Cecilie - Nikolaj Lie KaasNikolaj Lie KaasNikolaj Lie Kaas is a prominent Danish actor whose career rose in the 1990s and who is still actively working today. He is also the host of the annual Zulu Comedy Galla on Danish TV....
as Joachim - Mads MikkelsenMads Mikkelsen' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
as Niels - Paprika SteenPaprika SteenPaprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
as Marie - Stine Bjerregaard as Stine
- Birthe NeumannBirthe NeumannBirthe Neumann is a Danish actress.In 1972 she graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre, and was shortly afterwards employed as an actress at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen....
as Hanne - Niels Olsen as Finn
- Ulf PilgaardUlf PilgaardUlf Pilgaard is a Danish actor. The son of a priest he studied theology but shifted to become an actor. Married with Gitte Pilgaard.He has been an important part of Cirkusrevyen in 28 years. He has appeared on several films e.g...
as Thomsen - Ronnie Hiort Lorenzen as Gustav
- Pelle Bang Sørensen as Emil
- Anders Nyborg as Robert
- Ida DwingerIda DwingerIda Dwinger is a Danish actress.She graduated from Odense Theater School in 1984.- Movies :* Open Hearts aka Dogme #28 * Facing the Truth * Reconstruction * Princess * Just Like Home...
as Sanne - Philip Zandén as Tommy
- Michel Castenholt as Salesperson in Ilva
- Birgitte Prins as Doctor
- Susanne Juhasz as Cashier
- Hans Henrik Clemensen as Cook
- Jens Basse Dam as Waiter
- Hanne Windfeld as Nurse 1
- Tina Gylling Mortensen as Nurse 2
Soundtrack
The soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
songs were recorded by Anggun
Anggun
Anggun Cipta Sasmi is an Indonesian singer-songwriter. She has released 12 studio albums and one soundtrack album , and her songs have also been included on various compilation albums. Her musical career began in childhood, and she achieved commercial success in Indonesia when she was 12 years old...
and released by Sony Music in 2002. The soundtrack album contained nine songs with hit single "Open Your Heart".
Remake
Open Hearts is an upcoming film written, directed by and starring Zach BraffZach Braff
Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian, and director. Braff first became known in 2001 for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.In 2004, Braff made his...
. It will be the second film Braff will direct, after his successful 2004 film Garden State
Garden State (film)
Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...
.
It was first revealed that Zach Braff was planning to remake Open Hearts in 2006, at the same time Braff's film The Last Kiss
The Last Kiss
The Last Kiss is a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film which is based on the 2001 Italian film L'ultimo bacio, directed by Gabriele Muccino. The plot revolves around a young couple and their friends struggling with adulthood and issues of relationships and commitment.The film stars Zach Braff,...
was being released. The film will be produced by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
On his blog, Zach Braff announced that directing the film had been delayed due to his show Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
being renewed.. The production of the film has been put in limbo
Limbo
In the theology of the Catholic Church, Limbo is a speculative idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other...
several times due to Braff returning to film the seventh and eighth seasons of Scrubs, and in 2006 it was revealed that Braff had put the project on hold for a year after difficulties surrounding casting.
The picture was to be filmed in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Braff's home state and location of Garden State
Garden State
Garden State is the official nickname of the state of New Jersey in the United States.Other meanings include:* Garden State , a 2004 film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff** Garden State , the film's soundtrack...
, in the summer of 2006. This date has been changed but the location is to remain the same.