SERENA by Susanne Bier seems like an anachronism. The film chronicles a family history that is reminiscent of melodramas from the 1940s and 50s like GONE WITH THE WIND and EAST OF EDEN. Two strong, stubborn personalities are mercilessly turned upside down by fate. Passions are larger than life and consume everything in their path. A relationship changes irreversibly in one moment. The background to this epic story are the North Carolina mountains in the 1920s. George Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) is a hard-working timber baron. He meets Serena (Jennifer Lawrence), the only survivor of a timber family, and he knows he wants to marry this woman. Serena is much like him: ruthless, fearless, and in love with the forest. Together they return to his lumber empire where Serena takes an equala and active role in her husband's business. And together they work together to further expand the empire and a dynasty. Nothing will get in Serena's way or threaten her happiness. When an obstacle appears, it is quickly identified and destroyed by Serena. Behind the scenes however madness flickers and recalls the mercilessness of a Scarlett O’Hara or Norma Desmond. Susanne Bier (A BETTER WORLD) has made an interesting and quirky excursion into the retro-noir genre.

Hendrike Bake