In a Better World

Anton (Mikael Persbrandt) is a Swedish doctor who commutes between his home in Denmark and his work in a Sudanese refugee camp. In Sudan, he often treats female patients who are the victims of a sadistic warlord. Anton is married to Marianne (Trine Dyrholm), but they are separated, and struggling with the possibility of divorce over an affair that Anton had with another woman. They have two young sons, the older one being 12-year-old Elias (Markus Rygaard). Christian (William Jøhnk Juels Nielsen), who has just moved from London with his father, Claus (Ulrich Thomsen), is a new boy at Elias' school. Christian's mother recently died from cancer, and Christian blames his father for lying to him that she would get well, and that, in a late stage of her disease, he "wanted" her to die. Elias is bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, who assaults the main bully and threatens him with a knife. Christian gives Elias the knife, and both boys lie to the police, and their parents, about the incident. When Anton separates his younger son from another child, while they are fighting at a playground, the father of the other child, a mechanic, tells Anton not to touch his child and slaps Anton in the face. Anton later visits the mechanic at his work, accompanied by his children and Christian, to discuss the matter, and to show the children that he is not afraid of the man. The boorish and xenophobic mechanic insults Anton's nationality and slaps him several more times, but Anton does not flinch from the blows. Later, in Sudan, the psychopathic warlord comes to Anton's hospital for treatment of his wounded leg. To the horror of his staff and others, and acting at the expense of his own moral convictions, Anton treats the man. He does demand, however, that no weapons, and only two of his guards, be allowed inside the hospital. The warlord's leg seems to slowly heal and Anton barely tolerates his presence in the camp, but after the warlord shows contempt for one of his victims, Anton drags him away from the clinic, allowing him to be beaten to death by local people. In Denmark, Christian and Elias decide to make a bomb to destroy the mechanic's car, on a Sunday morning so that no passers-by might be hurt. With the fuse already burning, they see two joggers approaching (a mother and her young daughter), and Elias leaves his protected position to warn them. He is knocked unconscious, but saves the joggers from harm. Christian is questioned by the police and then released, with the incident being addressed as an extreme case of vandalism. He goes to the hospital to visit Elias, but Marianne does not let him see the boy, instead telling him that he has killed her son. Christian, believing that Elias is dead, climbs to the roof of a silo, contemplating suicide, but is rescued by Anton. Christian is relieved that Elias is doing well, and he is now allowed to visit him. Christian is reconciled with his father, and Anton and Marianne have sex, apparently resuming their marriage.

Plot from In a Better WorldCC BY-SA 4.0