While there are probably too many moral negotiations that each character goes trough in the events of the film, I think it is best to focus on Jacob and Jorgen for the most part. Jacob must make several negotiations in the film, one in which he is negotiating with a woman who works with him at the school they had set up in India. She has to convince him to go back home in an attempt to gain money so that the school can remain open and continue to function. It is very odd that he must be convinced of this. In the opening he seems like a caring guy who has put a lot into the effort of this school, so it seems strange that he would need encouragement to keep it going. Later in the film, Jorgen informs us that Jacob has been involved with several organizations in his past but none of them have had the capital to continue their efforts. I think the one condition that changes at this point is Pramod. Jacob has a vested interest in this school which I think the contributing factor for Jacobs trip home.
Jorgen was a difficult character to get a grasp on. He seemed to be all over the place. The first time we see him as a good and caring father, but then he is this brilliant business man worth a fortune, but when he meets with Jacob he seems uninterested in his own efforts to invest his money with a charity organization, which I suppose could be contributed to an aspect of his ruthless business sense. But later it is explained that Jorgen is dying which seems to better explain his erratic behavior. But because Jorgen is faced with his own mortality, he must decide what would be best for his wife and family which he decides would be Jacob. It seems as though that Jorgen has kept tabs on Jacob for several years and seems to think that Jacob has turned his life around from drugs and woman to be a responsible father figure in Jorgen's absence. Jorgen appears as though he is setting up his soon to be widow with Anna's biological father, which is a crazy idea to get your head around. Yes, Jorgen wants his family to find happiness after his death, but he is seemingly setting up his wife with her former love. The thought process and peace (that is peace in the sense that his family will live o without him, and not in the sense that he is ok with his own death because he clearly has not accepted that yet) that he had to come to terms with to set up this scenario for his family. Jorgen had to tip toe around several moral boundaries and come too terms with them in order for his family to be taken care of after his death.
Good stuff, Atlee. Indeed, Jørgen seems, perhaps the most complex character here, difficult to understand, perhaps because of the emotional needs that develop as he approaches death. Is he rational or irrational? And then, maybe we wonder, too, if his wealth contributes to the difficulty of his character. With all options open--as his wife points out regarding healthcare--what kind of behavior should we expect? Who else would be capable of this?
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