Susanne Bier's drama "A Second Chance" is announced as part of the Official Selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival, opening on 19 September. This marks the film's European premiere, as the film will be celebrating its world release in early September at the Toronto festival.
Already on the bill for San Sebastian 2014 is Bille August's drama "Silent Heart," which will also be competing for the Golden Shell as part of the Official Selection. Read more: Bille August Bound for San Sebastian
A Second Chance
This is the third time Susanne Bier has a film in the Official Selection at San Sebastian. Bier's Dogme film "Open Hearts" was in the line-up in 2002, and in 2004 came "Brothers."
Bier, who took home the foreign-language Oscar for "In a Better World" (2010), in her new drama tackles questions of human behaviour.
Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon are leading vastly different lives. Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs. It all looks very routine – until Andreas finds the couple's infant son, crying in a closet. The usually collected policeman finds himself confronted with his own powerlessness and is shaken to his core. As Andreas slowly loses his grip on justice, it suddenly becomes up to the unruly Simon to restore the balance between right and wrong.
The film features Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Andreas and Ulrich Thomsen as Simon. The cast also includes Maria Bonnevie, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Lykke May Andersen.
"A Second Chance" is written by Anders Thomas Jensen based on a story by Anders Thomas Jensen and Susanne Bier. The film is produced by Sisse Graum Jørgensen for Zentropa with support from the Danish Film Institute. TrustNordisk handles international sales. Domestic release is set for 15 January.
San Sebastian International Film Festival / 19-27 September 2014
A Second Chance
Detectives and best friends, Andreas and Simon, lead vastly different lives. Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son, while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. However, all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs.
