After the thoroughly unwatchable A Hole in My Heart (2004) and Container (2006), Lukas Moodysson recovered with a bigger-budgeted but more conventional drama that follows an affluent couple in New York (Gael García Bernal, Michelle Williams), their nanny (Marife Necesito) and her children that have been left with relatives in the Philippines. While on a business trip to Thailand, Bernal’s character also tries to “rescue” a young prostitute. The film never deviates from its expected course, but Moodysson has a genuine interest in social differences and makes us care for the story’s every child in peril.
2009-Sweden-Denmark-Germany. 125 min. Color. Written and directed by Lukas Moodysson. Cast: Gael García Bernal (Leo Vidales), Michelle Williams (Ellen Vidales), Marife Necesito (Gloria), Sophie Nyweide, Run Srinikornchot, Tom McCarthy.
