In this article, we will introduce the cinema and works of Susanne Bier, the first female director to win a Golden Globe and an Emmy award.
Susanne Bier is the first female director to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy. She won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the 2010 immigrant drama In a Better World. She also won an Emmy for the 2016 series 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, Bier trained as a set designer at the prestigious Architectural Association in London, a school of architecture, which is reflected in her movies.
Susanne Bier grew up in Copenhagen, where she still lives, on the north side of the city overlooking the Kattegat, the strait where the North and Baltic seas meet. Her family were Jewish immigrants who had fled to Denmark in the 1930s. Bier dropped out of architecture in her later teens because, as she puts it, she was “more interested in people than buildings.”
Bier, who has achieved her goals in her 30-year directorial career with a famous series like The Undoing, also reminds us in a strange way how unusual it is for her to have the freedom to choose and control her projects as a female director:
“I still find myself in meetings every now and then where I’m faced with super sexist pigs, some misogynist guys. Wherever you go, someone thinks they have the right to decide what you can talk about and how you can talk about it. But of course, it’s much, much, much easier now than it was when I was younger.”
Susanne Bier is often asked for advice to budding female filmmakers. She believes they need to trust their vision and know that they are just as capable as their male counterparts, and possibly even better. “At film school, I sat on a lot of panels with these confident guys in leather jackets and sunglasses who knew how to talk about movies like they were little masterpieces. Then I went from panel to panel, looked at the stuff they were doing, and it was just plain crap. I have a lot less patience for that now,” she says.
In the following parts of the article, we will be briefly introducing a significant portion of the movies of Susanne Bier, who has produced many works from comedy to drama, from thriller to science fiction. Enjoy reading!
1.Serena

We start our list of Susanne Bier movies with Serena. The 2014 drama movie starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence faced criticism due to Jennifer Lawrence‘s acting performance. The movie, which also failed at the box office, is Susanne Bier‘s only failure in her directing career.
Set in the 1920s, in the mountains of North Carolina, newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton begin a lumber and timber business. Serena soon proves herself as capable as any man in the business. She oversees loggers, hunts rattlesnakes, and even saves a man’s life in the wilderness. With power and influence now in their hands, the Pembertons refuse to let anyone get in the way of their love and ambition—until their business partners and the local sheriff begin to challenge them.
Information about Serena
- Title: Serena
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones
- Release Year: 2014
- Duration: 109 minutes
- Country: United States, United Kingdom
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 5.4/10
- Language: English
- Age Rating: R
- Similar Movies: Winter’s Bone (2010), The Water for Elephants (2011), A Walk in the Woods (2015)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Serena on IMDb
2.Love Is All You Need

The 2012 romantic comedy movie, starring Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, and Kim Bodnia, grossed $10 million against a budget of $7 million. The movie was named Best Comedy Movie at the 26th European Film Awards in 2013.
Ida, a Danish hairdresser who has lost her hair to cancer and has just finished cancer treatment, discovers her husband in bed with his young colleague after suffering for a long time. She travels alone to her daughter’s wedding in Italy, but meets the groom’s father, Philip, making a bad first impression. There are internal and external conflicts in the seaside villa where Philip once lived with his wife. However, the transience of first impressions gives Ida hope for a new beginning.
Information about Love Is All You Need
- Title: Love Is All You Need
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Trine Dyrholm, Molly Blixt Egelind, Søren Malling
- Release Year: 2012
- Duration: 96 minutes
- Country: Denmark, Sweden, Italy
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
- Language: English, Danish, Italian
- Age Rating: R
- Similar Movies: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), It’s Complicated (2009), The Wedding Planner (2001)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Love Is All You Need on IMDb
3.Bird Box

We continue with perhaps the most well-known production among Susanne Bier movies. Sandra Bullock stars in the lead role of Bird Box, a 2018 post-apocalyptic horror and thriller. Bird Box, which was the most-watched movie in the first 28 days after it came to Netflix, had a budget of close to $20 million.
In a nightmarish new reality where an invisible malevolent force is wiping out the human population, single mother Malorie and her two children embark on a life-threatening adventure to find the last protected haven on Earth. In this dangerous quest, sight is the real enemy, and the blindfold makes the protective mother even more vulnerable. As they muster the courage to follow a glimmer of hope hidden deep in a shelter downriver, darkness may be the only thing that can save them. Now the rules of survival have changed. Will Malorie and her children live to wake up another day and face the sun?
Information about Bird Box
- Title: Bird Box
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson
- Release Year: 2018
- Duration: 124 minutes
- Country: United States
- Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller
- Available Platforms: Netflix
- IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
- Language: English
- Age Rating: R
- Similar Movies: A Quiet Place (2018), The Road (2009), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Bird Box on IMDb
4.A Second Change

The 2014 thriller A Second Chance was shown in the Special Presentation section at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie has content that questions ethical boundaries…
Detective partners and best friends Andreas and Simon lead very different lives; Andreas is a family man settled in with his beautiful wife and son, while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours drunk at the local strip club and lives a more chaotic life. But when the two are caught in the middle of a domestic dispute between a junkie couple trapped in a downward spiral of violence and drugs, everything changes. At first, everything seems normal until Andreas finds the couple’s baby crying, hungry, and dirty in a cupboard. The usually level-headed police officer is shaken by the incident but is unable to do anything about it. Andreas gradually loses control of justice, and the lines between right and wrong begin to blur. It is up to Simon to keep Andreas on track. A Second Chance is a shocking, moving, and exciting drama about people forced into incredible circumstances.
Information about A Second Chance
- Title: A Second Chance
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maria Bonnevie, Søren Malling, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
- Release Year: 2014
- Duration: 103 minutes
- Country: Denmark
- Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
- Language: Danish
- Age Rating: Not Rated
- Similar Movies: The Hunt (2012), After the Wedding (2006), A War (2015)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: A Second Chance on IMDb
5.Things We Lost in the Fire

The 2007 drama movie, starring Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro, was well-received by audiences and critics, although it flopped at the box office.
In the story of the movie, which focuses on the human experience through the themes of grief and recovery, Brian is a wonderful person. He is a loving father, a good husband, and a loyal friend to his childhood companion Jerry, who struggles with addiction.
After Brian’s death, Jerry helps Brian’s family cope with the tragedy, and in return, Brian’s widow Audrey tries to help Jerry overcome his own bad habits. Jerry, stubborn in his addiction, has become disconnected from life.
The story unfolds through a series of flashbacks, starting from the day of Brian’s funeral. The ongoing chain of events includes the divorce of Audrey’s neighbor, a dinner party with a young woman from Jerry’s narcotics group, and a fire in the garage of their house.
Information about Things We Lost in the Fire
- Title: Things We Lost in the Fire
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Halle Berry, Benicio del Toro, Diane Weist, John Carroll Lynch
- Release Year: 2017
- Duration: 101 minutes
- Country: United States
- Genre: Drama
- Available Platforms: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
- Language: English
- Age Rating: R
- Similar Movies: 21 Grams (2003), The Hours (2002), The Blind Side (2009)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Things We Lost in the Fire on IMDb
6.Open Hearts

Directed by Susanne Bier using the minimalist filmmaking techniques of the Dogme 95 manifesto, the 2002 drama Open Hearts won the FIPRESCI award at the Toronto International Film Festival and was named Best Danish Movie of the year at the Bodil–Robert Awards.
In the movie, Cecilie is devastated when her fiancé Joachim is seriously injured in a car accident and becomes paralyzed from the neck down. Marie, the driver responsible for the accident, asks her husband Niels, a doctor at the hospital where Joachim is being treated, to help Cecilie. However, their relationship quickly evolves into a romantic entanglement that threatens to tear apart Niels’ family.
Information about Open Hearts
- Title: Open Hearts
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen, Stine Stengade, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
- Release Year: 2002
- Duration: 112 minutes
- Country: Denmark
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
- Language: Danish
- Age Rating: Not Rated
- Similar Movies: After the Wedding (2006), The Hunt (2012), A Second Chance (2014)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Open Hearts on IMDb
7.Brothers

Brothers, a 2004 psychological thriller and war movie, won the Film Music Award at the Cannes Film Festival. A remake of the same name, directed by Jim Sheridan, was produced in 2009, and the movie boasts a very impressive script.
Michael has everything going for him—a successful military career, a loving wife, and two daughters. But Michael’s younger brother, Jannik, is a rogue living on the edge of the law. When Michael is sent to Afghanistan for a UN mission, the balance between the two brothers changes forever. Michael disappears during an operation and is universally presumed dead, even in official records. Sarah, his wife, is comforted by Jannik, who, despite his past, shows that he is capable of taking responsibility for both himself and the family.
It soon becomes clear that Sarah and Jannik’s feelings for each other extend beyond mutual sympathy. When Michael returns home, traumatized after being held captive in the mountains of Afghanistan, nothing is the same anymore. Suffering from full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of what he had to do to survive, Michael gradually begins to understand what happened between his wife and his brother.
Information about Brothers
- Title: Brothers
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Connie Nielsen, Martin Hedegaard
- Release Year: 2004
- Duration: 117 minutes
- Country: Denmark
- Genre: Drama, War
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- Language: Danish
- Age Rating: Not Rated
- Similar Movies: A Family (2010), The Hunt (2012), A Second Chance (2014)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: Brothers on IMDb
8.In a Better World

In a Better World, which won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Movie, is a 2010 drama and thriller movie. The movie grossed over $13 million at the box office against a budget of $5.5 million and was shot in 6 different languages.
Anton is a doctor who balances his home life in an idyllic Danish town with his job in an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family face conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are estranged and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older son, Elias, aged 10, is constantly bullied at school until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father Claus.
Elias’ new best friend and protector, Christian, has recently lost his mother to cancer, and her death has left Christian devastated. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but their friendship is tested and their lives are put in danger when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences.
Information about In a Better World
- Title: In a Better World
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Markus Rygaard, William Jøhnk Nielsen
- Release Year: 2010
- Duration: 113 minutes
- Country: Denmark, Sweden
- Genre: Drama, Foreign
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Language: Danish, Swedish
- Age Rating: R
- Similar Movies: The Hunt (2012), A Second Chance (2014), Open Hearts (2002)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: In a Better World on IMDb
9.After the Wedding

That concludes our list of Susanne Bier movies. Nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Movie, After the Wedding is a 2006 drama movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie grossed over $11 million and was well-received by critics and audiences.
In a very poor area of India, Jacob Pederson, an idealistic Danish philanthropist, teaches children in an orphanage, taking care of them and raising 8-year-old Pramod since he was a baby. When Jacob is invited to Copenhagen to meet the wealthy businessman Jörgen Lennart Hannson, who plans to donate a large sum of money to the orphanage, he is reluctantly convinced by the director, Mrs. Shaw, that he must travel for the sake of the children and promises Pramod that he will return on his birthday. He has one week to do so.
Jacob has a meeting with the businessman, who promises him a donation of $1 million annually and invites him to his daughter Anna Hannson‘s wedding the next day. At the wedding, Jacob sees Jörgen‘s wife Helene Hannson, with whom he has a past; he discovers a family secret that will affect both his life and the Hannsons’.
Information about After the Wedding
- Title: After the Wedding
- Director: Susanne Bier
- Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rolf Lassgård, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen
- Release Year: 2006
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Country: Denmark, Sweden
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu (availability may vary)
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- Language: Danish, Swedish
- Age Rating: Not Rated
- Similar Movies: Open Hearts (2002), Brothers (2004), In a Better World (2010)
- Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
- IMDb Link: After the Wedding on IMDb
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