Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 10, 2013

Nominated for Bodil Award for Best Actress, Susanne Bier's "Den skaldede frisør" a.k.a "Love is All You Need" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; Q&A session with director Susanne Bier, Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, and screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen; video interview with Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm; behind the scenes featurette; audio commentary with Susanne Bier and Pierce Brosnan; and more. In Danish and English, with optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Would you open it for me?"

She is Ida (Trine Dyrholm, Festen, In a Better World), a beautiful hairdresser who has just discovered that her husband (Kim Bodnia, In China They Eat Dogs, Pusher) has been cheating on her with a younger woman (Christiane Schaumburg-Muller). He is Philip (Pierce Brosnan), a wealthy widower who has been living and working in Denmark for years. When Ida accidentally hits Philip’s car at the airport, the two quickly annoy each other and then discover that they are both heading to Sorrento, Italy, where Ida’s daughter Astrid (Molly Blixt Egelind, Okay) and Philip’s son Patrick (Sebastian Jessen, Nothing's All Bad) are getting married.

By the time they reach Sorrento, Ida and Philip are totally convinced that they cannot be any more different, but both do their best to act as good parents should. Shortly after they enter the villa, which belongs to Philip but he hasn’t used it since his wife passed away, Ida’s husband and his girlfriend and Philip’s bubbly and very sarcastic sister-in-law Benedikte (Paprika Steen, Open Hearts, Festen) also arrive. While greeting the guests and Astrid and Patrick, Ida notices that Philip could be a gentleman if he wants to be.

Some hours before the wedding ceremony, Astrid confesses to Ida that she is unsure if she and Patrick make a good couple. (The real concern is that Patrick would not make love to her). Like a good mother Ida attempts to convince Astrid that it is only a matter of time before he will start treating her like a woman, but her explanation encourages Astrid to confront Patrick and ask him to be honest with her.

While trying to help the future husband and wife figure out what is wrong, Ida and Philip warm up to each other. Then Ida reveals to Philip that she has breast cancer and has been treated for it with chemo, while he confesses to her that he is a workaholic who has forgotten how to be kind to a woman.

The newest film from Danish director Susanne Bier tries to be sweet and serious at the same time, and for the most part it manages to do precisely that. Despite the stunning vistas from Sorrento – the lemon groves are indeed breathtakingly beautiful – and the often cliched exchanges between Ida and Philip, the film never evolves into a parody. There are believable ups and downs and as well as a few twists that very much make sense.

The chemistry between Dyrholm and Brosnan is fantastic. Before shooting the film in Italy, Dyrholm was apparently quite nervous and unsure how she would perform next to Brosnan, but she is the real star. There are a couple of very risky sequences in which Dyrholm completely overshadows Brosnan. (See the sequence where she comes out of the water naked and without her wig).

The supporting cast is also very good. Steen is very convincing as the pushy sister-in-law who can’t wait to have Brosnan in her bed. Bodnia, a truly fantastic Danish actor who loves to play very bad characters, also does not disappoint as the idiotic husband who has supposedly fallen in love with his younger co-worker. The very funny Ciro Petrone, who appeared in Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah, also has a small but important role in the film.

Bier and cinematographer Morten Soborg (In a Better World, After the Wedding) shot the majority of the film on location in Sorrento with Arri Alexa camera. Needless to say, the panoramic vistas look remarkably crisp and vivid.

The film’s original Danish title is Den skaldede frisør, which translated in English means The Bald Hairdresser.

Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Susanne Bier's Love is All You Need arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

The high-definition transfer is quite beautiful. Shot on location in Italy and Denmark with the Arri Alexa camera, and with plenty of natural light, the film frequently looks remarkably vibrant and crisp. The close-ups, in particular, boast exceptional clarity and detail (see screencaptures #5 and 11). The panoramic shots from Sorrento also impress with tremendous fluidity. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Also, sharpness levels do not fluctuate. Even the nighttime footage looks terrific. There are no serous compression issues. Image stability is also outstanding. All in all, I think that Love is All You Need looks simply beautiful in high-definition, which is why I am convinced that fans of the film will be very pleased with Sony's Blu-ray release. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Danish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with large portions of English on the Danish track). For the record, Sony Pictures Classics has included optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless Danish track is wonderful. Johan Söderqvist's gentle music benefits the most from the lossless treatment and it enhances very well a number of key sequences in the film. Surround movement is limited, but occasionally there are random nature sounds and noises that make their presence felt. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, clean, and very easy to follow. There are no pops or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Q&A - this Q&A session with director Susanne Bier, Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, and screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen was filmed after Love is All You Need's screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The four participants quickly answer different questions about the unique balance between comedy and drama in the film, the difficulty of shooting a film in Danish and English, the locations seen in the film, etc. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

• Behind the Scenes with Trine Dyrholm - Danish photographer Joachim Adrian Mikkelsen (Politiken) followed Trine Dyrholm before, during, and after the premiere of Love is All You Need at the Venice Film Festival. Presented here are stills and footage from the event, with comments from Mikkelsen. In Danish, with imposed English subtitles. (6 min, 1080i).

• Interview - in this video interview, Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm discuss their contribution to Love is All You Need, some of the obstacles that had to be overcome during the shooting of the film, and what it is like to work with director Susanne Bier. The two actors also mention that they will likely work together in a new Danish film very soon. The interview was recorded at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• Interview - in this video interview, Pierce Brosnan discusses the character he plays in Love is All You Need. The interview was recorded at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Love is All You Need. In English and Danish, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - director Susanne Bier and Pierce Brosnan spend a great deal of time discussing the key relationships in the film, the filming locations, the chemistry between the excellent Danish actors (there are some great comments about Kim Bodnia and Paprika Steen), the film's critical reception, etc. In English, not subtitled.

Love Is All You Need Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Danish director Susanne Bier's Love is All You Need is a charming yet refreshingly serious romantic comedy that should appeal to a wide variety of viewers. It is really beautifully shot on location in Sorrento and looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray. Also included on this release are some very informative supplemental features, including a very honest interview with Pierce Brosnan and the lovely Trine Dyrholm. See this film with someone special. RECOMMENDED.