The Substitute (2007)

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

... they're all the same ... well actually this one isn't really quite as the others (as you might have read in the synopsis and/or seen in the movie).The main actress is also the main selling point of this movie. She is really great and it shows that she has fun with her role and the overall story.The kids and the parents are good too, the story has some neat twists (although most of them are pretty easy to spot), but it never achieves a status of greatness as I would call it. Something is still missing, to make this movie great. It might also be the fact, that once you've seen a few movies, like this one, it doesn't affect you as much. Soild Film then, with which you shouldn't be disappointed ... but expect to get to excited about it either!

Sometimes,the cultural context of a movie results very interesting and it adds points to the film itself,independently of its intrinsic quality.As examples,I can mention The Art of Devil 2,a very good horror film which does not only work because of its good moments of tension and the fact that it is unpredictable,but also because of the creepy atmosphere of Thai marshes;or These Girls,a cold and mediocre romantic comedy which wins some points for its portrait of the working-class Canadian culture.Now,I can add to that list The Substitute,an excellent combination of horror and sci-fi which is very interesting for many things,specially for portraying a culture with the exact twist of urban sophistication and rural innocence.The modest premise from this film is perfectly well developed by director and co-screenwriter Ole Bornedal,whose previous movie,I Am Dina,had been very bad for its extremely boring screenplay and the pathetic performance from the main actress.Now,Bornedal has enormously redeemed himself on both fields because,as a co-screenwriter,he built an ingenious and dynamic screenplay full of black humor and,as a director,he could get a brilliant performance from the main actress,Paprika Steen,who completely becomes on her character and never seems to be acting.Also,Bornedal drove the film at a perfect rhythm and got some excellent moments of tension,whilethe movie resulted completely unpredictable to me because there were so many ingenious twists that it was impossible to predict what could happen next.Besides,the main concept behind the movie is audacious and provocative.The only fail I found on this movie was that the brief special effects did not fit with the tone and style of the movie.But,that's a minor fail.The Substitute is a brilliant movie which I recommend with a lot of enthusiasm.I clearly took a very nice surprise with this movie.

Earth is full of war...and love. That's why Ulla (Paprika Steen) has traveled to Earth from her home planet - because all she has on her planet is war.She becomes a substitute teacher for a sixth grade class that Carl (Jonas Wandschneider) belongs to. Carl just went through the tragic death of his mother, and is seeking treatment.Even though the children bicker amongst each other, they all come together against Ulla when she berates them and treats them like garbage. They try to tell their parents, but they don't believe them.Then Carl discovers the truth - Ulla is an alien, and she has some plans for the children. Soon they band together to try and prevent Ulla from getting away with her evil plan."The Substitute" was an enjoyable film - filled with thrills, chills, and even laughter (especially the final climactic scene). It also shows the good in people - how, despite our differences, we can come together when we need it to combat a common foe. And the acting, especially from these young children, was exceptional for their age.

Finally a film, for both children and adults, which takes the kids and their thoughts seriously, with no exception whatsoever. Great storyline, superbly executed. Several climaxes and tear-dripping ending. I have now been able to watch it several times and I keep trying to hold back the tears at the end, where the "lost" son finds his strength through the grief of loosing his mother, now hugging his father with great affection after having stopped the alien's attempt to steal the children's born compassion and empathy for each other.Ole Bornedal shows new modernistic storytelling in a classical and highly professional level, bringing psychology and uniqueness to his own story. Scandinavian film has been small, very small, until this artist arrived with "Nattevagten/Nightwatch" and he kept on going. Thankyou for bringing and showing a great touch of the professional heart into film-making; finally. Bringing together the European psychology and the American classic storytelling.I'm happy.