Revenge films are a genre unto themselves and usually fit a very specific mold. They’re usually meant to be both entertaining and cathartic, but there’s rarely any serious questions asked as to the moral state of the actions playing out before us. Director Susanne Bier’s Academy Award winning film, In a Better World, sets out to do just that. The film follows two stories… two boys deal with a schoolyard bully but their efforts get out of hand, and a doctor who’s life mission is to heal the sick and wounded finds his ideals questioned when faced with pure evil. It’s a suspenseful and engaging experience, and it offers no easy answers. In a Better World hits DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, and we have a copy of the combo pack to give away to one lucky reader. How can you win? Simple… think of a really bad movie, and tell us why the world would be better off if the damn thing had never been made.

Susanne Bier‘s In a Better World made me, for the very first time, question my enjoyment of kids beating the hell out of each other on film. As someone that takes my fandom of kids kicking ass on film quite seriously, Bier stumped me. In a Better World is a film about violence, and the effects that it has. One of the two story-lines involves children, very nerd-like feeble children, striking back. Most of you dear readers would most likely sympathize with these kids, like I did, but they end up going to the extremes that make you question their choices. Bier is a director that is known for exploring the extreme sides of humanity, and she continues that trend in a poignant and unique manner with In A Better World. I spoke to Bier at SXSW where we discussed — starting with some small talk, of course — the grey areas of the film, the story’s structure, and finding realism in script and performance:

Jim Sheridan’s ‘Brothers’ remake is a fine, old-fashioned drama starring Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Like many of Sheridan’s other movies, it’s all about family.