Exiled:  I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out of the Johnnie To Express, but his films just keep getting tauter, more economic, and flat-out better.  Exiled is his best feature yet, and somewhat of a sequel (same cast; different characters) to 1999's The Mission, which is slated for a Peter Berg-directed American remake next year.

Wo (Nick Cheung) has, before Exiled begins, attempted to assassinate a mob boss (Simon Yan), and two gangsters show up at the home Wo has just moved into with his wife (Josie Ho) and infant child.  Two other gangsters arrive to protect Wo, and as you might expect, a gunfight ensues.  But when the dust settles, everyone enjoys a nice meal and a group photograph.  Why?  Because the five men all grew up together and have a strong mutual respect for one another.

Wo convinces the other men to help him make one last hit so that his wife and child will have enough money to survive after he's eventually snuffed out by his pals.  There's more gunplay, a surprising amount of black comedy, and a Little Miss Sunshine-esque run of bad luck with stalled vehicles.  It's a whole lot of fun, but since To has reunited a flock of actors that have appeared in previous films, it looked like a whole lot of fun to make, as well.

After the Wedding:  Susanne Bier, helmer for Dogme #28 (Open Hearts), returns with this Anders Thomas Jensen-scripted drama about a Danish ex-pat named Jacob (Mads Mikkelsen) who runs a school for orphans on a shoestring budget in Bombay.  Jacob is strong-armed into returning to Copenhagen for a dog-and-pony show where he hopes to land additional funding for his venture.  He meets rich, pompous Jørgen (Rolf Lassgård), who can't even be bothered to watch Jacob's videotape of the children, but does land a hasty invitation to Jørgen's daughter's wedding the following day.

It's clear instantly that there's a previous connection between Jacob and Jørgen's wife, Helena (Sidse Babett Knudsen), but it isn't until daughter Anna (Stine Fischer Christensen) makes a wedding toast that Jacob and the audience are brought completely into the devastating loop.  Wedding is incredibly heart-wrenching, and full of some very, very strong performances (and music from Sigur Rós, as if things didn't sound impressive enough).  One of my favorites from this festival.