Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Writer/director Per Fly is a strong filmmaker from Denmark who is unafraid to make controversial statements that challenge certain 'family values' sentiments prevalent in this country. In this brilliantly written, directed and acted film he manages to reveal the inner destruction of a family under whose surface is an institution of envy. It is a riveting film that despite its in excess of two-hour length keeps us riveted to our seats in its never-ending exploration of the darker side of familial machinations.Christoffer (Ulrich Thomsen) has escaped his Danish family and is comfortably ensconced in Stockholm as a successful restaurateur, living with the beautiful actress Maria (Lisa Werlinder) whose love for life extends beyond the fulfilling pleasures of the boudoir. Their bliss is interrupted by an unexpected visit from Chrisoffer's father who briefly spends time with the couple, happy for their state of success in all things. Upon his departure Christoffer receives a phone call that his father has hung himself and his presence is demanded in Denmark. Christoffer and Maria fly home to the matriarch of the family, Christoffer's mother Anneliese (the brilliant Ghita Norby) who immediately takes charge of the family, demands that Christoffer take over the failing family steel company thus skipping over Christoffer's designated brother-in-law Ulrick (Lars Brygmann), a fact that tears at Christoffer's sister Benedikte (Karina Skands). Taking the position of head of the family business would mean his giving up his dreams in Stockholm, negate Maria's burgeoning acting career, and placing Christoffer in the ominous position of having to fire longtime employees and make changes that would decimate many - not the least of which would be Christoffer's character. But Anneliese is strong and gets her way and thus the destruction of Christoffer's humanity and life begins.Christoffer is able to merge the company with a French company and make the family business successful. But at what a cost? Maria leaves him after they have a child, Benedikte collides with him over his ruining her life with Ulrick, and Christoffer moves to France where he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Per Fly is not one to tidy up all of the loose ends of a family disintegration: he leaves the end results of a bad decision up to the audience to figure out. It is this respect for the audience that endears this artist to us. The script is brilliantly written, the acting is superb, and the direction is tight and sensitive to the storyline. In every way this is a film worthy of our attention, not only as an art piece, but also as a means of re-examining 'family values' that here are presented in quite a different light than our usual reference phrase suggests. Highly recommended. Grady Harp

"The Inheritance" is all about a Swedish man (Thomsen) who steps in to take over his father's floundering steel business after his father's death only to find his personal life falling apart as he pulls the steel biz together. This plaintive examination of how one man's blind commitment to business sacrifices those he loves most is a solid drama with moderate hi-lo excursions, an even pace, and a well managed presentation though there is considerable dead time between the scenes which move the story forward. However, one has to wonder if watching a man who is better at managing a business than at managing his personal affairs is sufficiently interesting to warrant an almost 2 hour watch. Factor in subtitles and this flick will probably only work for foreign film drama fans. (B)

In my opinion, the story works at least on two levels.There is a socio-political level, on which the apparent message is: "Capitalism tramps on human feelings". This could be (but it is just a possibility) the director's message. Evidence for it is the sympathetic way the old employees and managers are portrayed, who are felled by "rationalisation" of the firm. Conversely, the negative aspect of capitalism is represented by the cold, scheming dowager, who thinks nothing of setting 200 employees on the dole, firing her son-in-law from his decision-making post, disrupting her son's family, all for the benefit of The Firm.The second level is Freudian. A power struggle is under way between the domineering mother (not unlike Meryl Streep's character in The Manchurian Candidate) and the rest of the family. She claims to be the "strong" one, as opposed to all the others, whom she describes as "weak", with the exception of her son. In reality, he is just a puppet in her hands, incapable of cutting the umbilical cord and going against his mother's wishes. Her own strength is, in fact, also a delusion - she would not manage to run the company on her own, so she depends on Christoffer as much as he depends on her. She reaches out as far as Stockholm, where her son mistakenly thinks he has found bliss with his beautiful and caring Swedish actress wife while eschewing the tentacles of family business. But with the excuse of his father's suicide - and here one doubts how big a part she has had in his tragic decision - she drags him back to Copenhagen and installs him at the head of what he had tried to escape. The fact that she insists that he, not his brother-in-law, become the leader is a clear imposition of her will. Another one is the coaxing of Christoffer into forming a relationship with the "family friend", whom he doesn't care about. But she is omnipotent, in his eyes, so in the end he'll have to give in and do what he is told. Breaking away from the wife and baby he loves shatters him, but he will learn in time – his mother teaches him – if not to despise them, at least to grow indifferent. A great, chilling interpretation by Ghita Mørby/Annelise; Lisa Werlinder is delightfully voluptuous and Ulrich Thomsen is confirming himself a highly talented actor. Per Fly directs an elegant, bitter movie, reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman's cosmic pessimism.

Excellent acting by Ulrich Thomsen, Lisa Werlinder and Ghita Nørby. I have heard that Ghita Nørby told Per Fly (the director) that she knew exactly how her character was because she was like that herself. So he let her do it her way. And thank God for that. She is exceptional good in this role. Lisa Werlinder plays the silent girl, who a few times gets very upset. When she does, it really lifts the movie to an even higher level. Ulrich Thomsen does not say how he feels, so it is very important that you can see what he feels. Very well done. Not easy to get away with as good as this.Beautiful pictures also makes this movie a pleasure to watch. Especially when they are shooting in France you have some very amazing pictures. It is also nice that the camera does not shake as much as most Dogma movies.But if it had not been for the original plot it would not have been a good movie. Today in Danish movies it is mostly ordinary people you see, so that everybody can relate. It was fun for a while, but the ordinary story about ordinary people can get really boring if you make it over and over again. The most important scene in the movie as I see it is where Christoffer announces to the employees that the company will merge and that even more people will get hired. The crowd cheers and you can see how Christoffer's eyes just shine. That is one of the reasons that he sacrifice so much. Because of the employees.Arven is original. Interesting. Extremely well played.Arven is one of a kind.