Nothing reverberates like the disruption of harmony; it’s a feeling that isn’t easily forgotten.

“In a Better World”, the second film in Elgin Community College’s international film night, captures the potency of violence and the slow process of healing through a visceral and touching story. The event was hosted again by Tim Kaar and the ECC’s Humanities Club in the Spartan auditorium last Friday at 7:30 p.m., and had a surprisingly bigger turn out than last month’s showing.

The Danish film, In a Better World,  follows Anton, who works as a doctor in an African refugee camp, and also fills the role of being a husband and father in Denmark. His constant travel puts a strain on his relationships as he works relentlessly to be a good role model for his bullied son. Anton struggles to represent a symbol of peace and understanding for both the refugees and his family.

A constant theme throughout the film is the effects of bullying. It makes the point of showing  that not only schoolchildren can be bullies, but adults can be bullies too . The accompanying portrayal of grief and bitterness adds a raw feeling to the film. Another recurring theme is the ability to forgive, even when it seems impossible to do so. Overall, it’s content is not light stuff, but it’s healing in a way to see characters go through relatable situations like loss, anger and relief.

“There were moments in it that reminded me of situations growing up. I saw bullying and it brought up unpleasant memories from time to time. It did hit me at that level. Coming to terms with bullying, that’s a big part of growing up,” said Kaar, an ECC instructor and member of ECC’s Humanities Club.

“In a Better World” also brought about the idea of closure and peace within the film.

“The movie was a lot about reconciliations. The question is if things were ever gonna be reconciled, and then at the end, in a really cool way, so many things were reconciled,” said ECC student Steve Franco. “There was so many things that needed to be fixed, but it couldn’t be. It wasn’t a quick fix.”

The visuals of the film were striking as the story bounced back and forth from sun-soaked Africa to lush, contemporary Denmark.

“It was a beautiful film to experience, like I wanted to cry at some parts. Also the colors of the movie were so full and bright and that really caught my eye. It made me want to paint some of the scenes,” said attendee Maggie Newling.  

The ECC Humanities Club provided free snacks and drinks and will continue with the International Film Series in Nov., on the first and second Fridays of the month at 7:30 p.m..