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Arven (The Inheritance) (2003)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 36
Fresh: 27 | Rotten: 9

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 15
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 6

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 1,494

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Movie Info

A man is torn between love, family, and a responsibility he does not want in this drama. Christoffer (Ulrich Thomsen) used to work for his family's steel company, but when the stress of the job began taking a serious toll on his health, he left the firm and now happily runs a restaurant in Stockholm and is married to Maria (Lisa Werlinder), a lovely and promising stage actress. At the urging of his father, Christoffer flies to Denmark for a family visit, only to discover upon arrival that his

Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.

Art House & International, Drama

Directed By: Per Fly

In Theaters: Jul 9, 2004 Wide

On DVD: Jun 7, 2005

Egmont

Cast

Critic Reviews for Arven (The Inheritance)

All Critics (40) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (9) | DVD (9)

There's a major difference between Inheritance and The Godfather -- and that's a lack of epic and thematic sweep.

February 4, 2005 Comment

Robert Denerstein

Denver Rocky Mountain News

Top Critic

What makes The Inheritance so watchable, and so different from recent couples dramas like Closer, is that these privileged people are decent, likable and struggling to do the right thing.

February 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Denver Post

| Comment

Michael Booth

Denver Post

Top Critic

In his role, Thomsen is strong and convincing.

December 9, 2004 Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

| Comment

Bob Longino

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Top Critic

Highly dramatic and intensely emotional, blessed with strong themes and an unstoppable narrative drive, it is adult, intelligent entertainment of a kind we rarely see these days.

October 8, 2004 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times

| Comment

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

While the entire movie is one massive flashback, the real reasons for all this Danish dysfunction go unexplored.

October 1, 2004 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

| Comment

Leighton Klein

Boston Globe

Top Critic

It's a poignant, even heart-rending reflection on how doing the right thing isn't as simple as we were once taught.

September 16, 2004 Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News

| Comment

Philip Wuntch

Dallas Morning News

Top Critic

...there's absolutely no denying the effectiveness of Thomsen's heartbreaking performance...

December 17, 2006 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews

| Comment

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

like updating Bergman for this millennium

June 18, 2005 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

| Comment

Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

A very solid and appealing movie.

June 7, 2005 Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine

| Comment

Brent Simon

Now Playing Magazine Source: Now Playing Magazine

Telling and insightful, inventively filmed and extremely well-acted as usual ... but why are Danish films so relentlessly bleak?

November 30, 2004 Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall

| Comment

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

So much of this Danish-Swedish import is so uninteresting that it quickly becomes a chore to sit through. And that's too bad, because the film has a lot to say about professional- vs.-personal life struggles.

October 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City

| Comment

Jeff Vice

Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Thomsen brings an icy tension to the role, while Norby, as Christoffer's domineering mom, adds a chilling element of Greek tragedy to the story.

October 29, 2004 Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune

| Comment

Sean Means

Salt Lake Tribune

a compelling study of the classic struggle men often have to make in choosing between wife and mother, duty and family, right and wrong.

October 16, 2004 Full Review Source: tonymedley.com

| Comment

Tony Medley

tonymedley.com Source: tonymedley.com

The politics of the story come to life through the vivid characterizations of a uniformly excellent cast.

October 15, 2004 Full Review Source: Oregonian

| Comment

Marc Mohan

Oregonian

Fly's point is that private morality has public consequences. And this film's major achievement is making us understand just that.

October 15, 2004 Full Review Source: E! Online

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E! Online

A solid, involving Danish drama that proves discord, struggle and variance need not necessarily be lost in translation.

October 11, 2004 Full Review Source: Entertainment Today

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Brent Simon

Entertainment Today

Fly's subtle observations about certain elements of the upper class come through with quiet force.

October 8, 2004 Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine

| Comment

Sheri Linden

Boxoffice Magazine

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Arven (The Inheritance)

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In "The Inheritance", Christoffer(Ulrich Thomsen), a restauranteur, and Maria(Lisa Werlinder), an up-and-coming Shakespearean actress, are madly in love with each other while living the ideal life in Stockholm. Shortly after an impromptu visit from Christoffer's father, they learn that he has committed suicide. Upon

March 31, 2006

Walter M.

Super Reviewer

An absolutely bleak movie about the cost of family obligation. I first saw Ulrich Thomsen in "The Celebration", and like that movie, he does an amazing job of portraying a man who on the outside is dutiful, stoic, and icy, but on the inside is a rage of unbridled emotions of passion and rage. And like "The

March 23, 2008