"I often have an easier time identifying with men than with women. I was brought up with two brothers, my friends were all boys until I was 18, and I still have close friends who are men. So I've always been in that tomboy environment. It doesn't mean I'm not interested in women. I'm close to my two sisters but I've just had easier access to men. I have a very immediate understanding with my son, who is 17, whereas I'm sometimes a bit intimidated by my daughter, who is 23. She's got loads of girlfriends and can play the girlie/feminine thing. I get slightly overwhelmed by the way she figures it out. I could never figure it out!" Director Susanne Bier on why her films feature strong male characters


While Susanne Bier states she can easily identify with men and her screenwriting partner is a male (Anders Thomas Jensen), her film "Open Hearts" divides its attention equally between male and female characters. Bier has a non-judgmental approach to her character's choices in life. I have to admit, though, to experiencing a certain satisfaction when the wife slaps her husband on learning of his affair. That moment was reportedly improvised by actress Paprika Steen and it does pack an emotional punch.

Bier's latest project is an adaptation of the John le Carre novel, "The Night Manager". Starring Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, the six-part miniseries was released on DVD in the UK last week. The series, which takes place in Cairo during the Arab Spring and involves an arms dealer, will have its US premiere on April 19th on AMC.

The Tribeca Film Festival starts this week, on April 13th. I put a post on the forum about the controversy surrounding the documentary "Vaxxed", which was to screen at Tribeca and then was pulled from the schedule. A film that is premiering at Tribeca on April 14th, and has already picked up a US distributor, is "As I Open My Eyes". Written and directed by Leyla Bouzid, the story revolves around a young Tunisian woman who sings in a rock band, upending the traditional role of women in her family. The film will get a limited theatrical release in September.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Open Hearts Film Review
A Danish doctor finds his life disrupted when his wife accidentally runs down a young graduate student about to be married. Susanne Bier directed this critically acclaimed Dogme 95 film. What is Dogme 95? Read on.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64488.asp

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