Renowned director Susanne Beer and her selected films

Suzanne Beer; She is the first female director to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and an Emmy. He received Oscar and Golden Globe awards for the 2010 immigrant drama The Good Place. Emmy Award; He won in 2016 for The Night Manager, an adaptation of John le Carré’s novel of the same name, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Debicki. Before becoming a director, Beer trained as a stage designer at the Architectural Association, a prestigious London architecture school, and this has been reflected in his films.

Suzanne Beer; He grew up in Copenhagen, where he still lives, north of the city overlooking the Kattegat, the strait where the North and Baltic seas meet. His parents were Jewish immigrants who took refuge in Denmark in the 1930s. In his later teens, Beer abandoned the architecture he had studied because, in his own words, he was “more interested in people than buildings”.

Beer, who achieved his goals in his 30-year directing career with acclaimed television series such as Cancellation; she also strangely reminds me of how unusual it is for a female director to have the freedom to choose and control her projects:

“I still find myself at meetings from time to time where I am confronted by super-sexist pigs, some kind of misogynists. Wherever you go, someone comes out and thinks they have a right to what to say and how to say. But of course it’s much, much, much easier now than it was when I was younger.”

Suzanne Beer is often asked to give advice to aspiring female directors. Basically he thinks they need to trust their vision and know that they are just as talented as their male counterparts and could possibly be better than them. “I sat in a lot of film school discussions with a bunch of confident guys in leather jackets and sunglasses who knew how to talk about films like little masterpieces. Then I went from the panel to the cinema, looked at what they were doing, and it was really bullshit. Now I have much less patience with it.” He speaks.

Further in the article; We will briefly introduce you to some of the films of Suzanne Beer, who has many productions to her credit, from comedies to dramas, from thrillers to science fiction. Enjoy reading…

You can also check out this article: 18 classic films from successful female directors.

1. Serena (2014) – IMDB: 5.4

We start our list of Suzanne Beer films with Serena. The 2014 drama starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence was the subject of criticism for Jennifer Lawrence’s acting. The film, which also failed at the box office, is the only setback in Suzanne Beer’s directorial career.

Newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton start a lumber and lumber business in the North Carolina mountains in the 1920s. Serena soon proves to be as skilled at this job as any man. He watches lumberjacks, hunts rattlesnakes, and even saves a human life in the wild. Now, in their power and influence, the Pembertons don’t let anyone stand in the way of their love and ambition. Until their business partners and local sheriffs show up…

2. Love Is All You Need – Just Love (2012) – IMDB: 6.5

The 2012 romantic comedy starring Pierce Brosnan, Trina Dearholm and Kim Bodnia made $10 million on a $7 million budget. The film was named Best Comedy at the 26th European Film Awards in 2013.

Ida, a Danish hairdresser who lost her hair to cancer and has just completed cancer treatment; Despite the fact that she suffers for a long time, she sees her husband in bed with her young colleague. She travels alone to her daughters’ wedding in Italy, but meets the groom’s father, Philip, who makes a bad first impression. At the seaside villa where Philip and his wife once lived, there are conflicts within and outside the family. But the fickleness of first impressions gives Ida hope to build a different life.

3. Bird Box (2018) – IMDB: 6.6.

We continue, perhaps, the most famous production among the films of Suzanne Beer. Sandra Bullock stars in the 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller Birdbox. Bird Box, which was the most watched movie in its first 28 days on Netflix, also has a budget of around $20 million.

In the midst of a nightmarish new reality where a malevolent force invisible to the survivors is wiping out the human population, Malory is a single mother; Together with her two children, she embarks on a life-threatening adventure to find the last sheltered home on Earth. In this dangerous quest, eyesight is the real enemy, and blindfolds make the protective mother even more vulnerable. Perhaps the only thing that can save them is the darkness as they muster up the courage to follow the glimmer of hope hidden deep in the bunker downriver. Now the rules of survival have changed. Will Malory and her children live long enough to wake up another day and look at the sun?

4. Second Change – Second Chance (2014) – IMDB: 6.8.

The 2014 thriller The Second Chance was screened in the Special Presentation section of the Toronto International Film Festival. The content of the film questions ethical boundaries…

As partner detectives and each other’s best friends, Andreas and Simon live very different lives; Andreas is an established family man with his beautiful wife and son; On the other hand, the recently divorced Simon spends most of his waking hours drunk at the local strip club and leads a more promiscuous lifestyle. But everything changes when the two of them become involved in a family dispute between a pair of drug addicts caught in a spiral of violence and drugs. At first, everything seems quite normal, until Andreas finds the couple’s babies in the buffet, crying from hunger and dirty. Andreas, who saw a generally sane police officer shaken by the event but could do nothing; Gradually, he loses control of justice and blurs the boundaries between good and evil. Simon must keep Andreas balanced. “Second Chance” is a shocking, touching and gripping drama about people who find themselves in incredible circumstances.

5. Things We Lost in the Fire – Things We Lost (2007) – IMDB: 7.1

The 2007 drama starring Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro was highly acclaimed by viewers and critics, although it failed at the box office.

Brian is a wonderful character in the film’s plot, which is about “man” based on the concepts of grief and healing. He is a sweet father, a good wife, and a loyal friend to his childhood friend Jerry, a drug addict.

Jerry, who helps Brian’s family deal with the tragedy that befell Brian’s death; Brian’s widow, Audrey, recruited him to kick his bad habits. Jerry, who has a persistent addiction, is disconnected from life.

The story takes shape with many memories from the day of the funeral. Continuous chain of events; Neighbor Audrey’s divorce is followed by a dinner party attended by a young woman from the anti-drug group that Jerry attends and a fire in their garage.

6. Open Hearts – Open Hearts (2002) – IMDB: 7.5

Open Hearts, a 2002 drama film directed by Suzanne Beer using the minimalist filmmaking techniques of the Dogma 95 manifesto, won the FIPRESCI award at the Toronto International Film Festival and was named Best Danish Film by the Bodil-Robert Awards the same year.

In film; Cecilia is devastated when her fiancé, Joachim, is seriously injured in a car accident and paralyzed from the neck down. Marie, the driver responsible for the accident, asks her husband Nils, a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is being treated, to help Cecilia. However, their relationship turns into a relationship that threatens Niels’ family.

7. Brothers – Brothers (2004) – IMDB: 7.5

Brothers, a 2004 psychological thriller and war film, won the Soundtrack Award at the Cannes Film Festival. A remake of the same name directed by Jim Sheridan was released in 2009 with a very impressive script.

All is well in Michael’s life. He has a successful military career, a loving wife and two daughters. But Michael’s younger brother, Yannick, is a drifter living on the edge of the law. The balance between the two brothers changed forever when Michael was sent to Afghanistan on a UN mission. Michael disappears during the operation and is presumed dead by almost everyone, including the official records. And Sarah is comforted by Yannick, who nevertheless shows that she is able to take responsibility for herself and her family.

It soon becomes clear that Sarah and Yannick’s feelings for each other go beyond mutual sympathy. When Michael returns home with a prisoner injury in the mountains of Afghanistan, things are no longer the same. Due to the things he has to do to survive in captivity, Michael, who suffers from full-blown PTSD, begins to understand step by step what is going on between his wife and brother.

8. In a Better World (2010) – IMDB: 7.6.

The Good Place is a 2010 drama and thriller that won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Despite its $5.5 million budget, the film grossed over $13 million at the box office and was filmed in 6 different languages.

Anton is a doctor who vacillates between his home in an idyllic Danish town and working in an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family; they face conflicts that lead them to a difficult choice between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianna, who have two young sons, live separately and struggle with the prospect of a divorce. Their eldest 10-year-old Elias is constantly bullied at school until he is protected by his father Klaus and Christian, a new kid who has just moved from London.

Christian’s mother, Elias’ new best friend and protector, recently lost her battle with cancer and Christian is very saddened by her death. The friendship of Elias and Christian, who in a short time established a strong bond; They will be tested and in danger when Christian draws Elias into a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences.

9. After the wedding – After the wedding (2006) – IMDB: 7.7

We have come to the end of our list of Suzanne Beer films. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, After the Wedding is a 2006 drama film that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film, which grossed over $11 million, received critical and audience acclaim.

In a very poor part of India, Jacob Pederson, a Danish idealist philanthropist, has been teaching, caring for and raising 8-year-old Pramod in an orphanage since childhood. When Jacob is invited to Copenhagen to meet wealthy businessman Jørgen Lennart Hannson, who plans to donate a large amount to an orphanage; Reluctantly convinced by the principal, Miss Shaw, that he must travel for the sake of the children, he promises Pramod that he will return on his birthday. There is a week for this.

Jacob meets with a businessman who promises a $1 million annual donation and invites him to his daughter Anna Hanson’s wedding the next day. At the wedding, when Jacob sees his wife, Helen Hannson, with whom Jorgen had a past; reveals a family secret that will affect both his life and the life of the Hansons.