The Twist-Filled,

Soapy Melodrama,

Lacks a Solid Theme

by Sandra Olmsted

In writer/director Bart Freundlich’s After the Wedding, nothing is what it seems, and I will do my best not to spoil the surprising plot twists and revelations in store for the audience. Although the performances of the leads, Julianne Moore who is married to the director, and Michelle Williams, are exceptionally strong, Freundlich’s film less successfully remakes and reinvents the 2006 Oscar-nominated, Danish film. Freundlich’s film remakes and reinvents the Oscar-nominated Danish film with less success. Danish writer/director Susanne Bier and her screenwriter, Anders Thomas Jensen, even maintain their screenwriting credits on this remake despite the inspired, perhaps even profound, changes by Freundlich.

Seen through cinematographer Julio Macat’s aerial drone shot over the exotic Indian landscape, the film opens on Isabel (Michelle Williams), an American, surrounded by a group of children. Meditating in the lotus position and draped in a sari, she appears the perfect caregiver for these children. Later, the beatified, idealistic Isabel leads the orphaned children in her care, in feeding the hungry, less fortunate street urchins. Isabel dotes on eight-year-old Jai (Vir Pachisia), who is ostracized by the other children and whom she has raised from infancy.

When confronted with the choice of losing funding the orphanage desperately needs or going to New York to meet with millionaire Theresa (Julianne Moore), the potential donor, Isabel would rather stay where she’s “needed,” yet also seems reluctant to return to the States. Isabel, however, flies to New York ostensibly to prove orphanage deserves Theresa’s $2 million.

Isabel arrives as Theresa puts the finishing touches on her daughter’s weekend wedding and is invited to the wedding where she meets Theresa’s husband, Oscar (Billy Crudup), sculptor, and daughter, Grace (Abby Quinn). A dichotomy, Theresa can be a gruff, hard-nosed, captain of industry completely capable of eviscerating her assistant yet also a cool, collected leader at work. However, with her love for nature and calm demeanor at home, she is also a loving wife and a devoted mother to her and Oscar’s twin sons (Tre Ryder, Azhy Robertson) and to Grace, Oscar’s child.

Based on Danish writer/director Susanne Bier’s Oscar-nominated 2006 film of the same title, Bart Freundlich’s Americanized After the Wedding remake changes main characters’ genders, giving Moore and Williams strong, interesting characters to portray which might even get the actresses Oscar noms, and Crudup gets to play a softer sided-male. Freundlich’s film also might garner Oscars nods for Mychael Danna’s luscious score or for film editor Joseph Krings and cinematographer Julio Macat whose beautiful work highlight the perfect interplay of editing and cinematography. Freundlich, however, violates the rule in filmmaking to get into the scene late and get out early, which is meant to keep the pacing quick and the action moving.

Instead, Freundlich cuts off the emotional impact of the scenes off too soon or relies too heavily on the audience extrapolating the emotional setups to abbreviate scenes. Eventually, his film degrades to a mere attempt to make the audience break out their hankies. The only suspense is what will these characters do with the emotional situations thrown at them. While Williams’ and Moore’s performances highlight the melodramatic script and are worth the price of admission, the film lacks the backbone of have-and-have-nots social commentary inherent in the script. Although it does state very clearly that the wealthy shouldn’t be judged too quickly or too harshly because they, too, have problems and tragedies. After the Wedding is rated PG-13 for thematic material and some strong language and runs a longish, although at times riveting, 112 minutes. After the Wedding, a Sony Pictures Classics release, is in theaters now.

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