Restorative Justice as Internalization of the Rule of Law: Combining Restoration with Retribution in the Film <i>Festen</i>

In this paper, I will use a film analysis to explore the potential of restorative justice processes as a more comprehensive, mature approach to the phenomenon of crime. By following the microlevel transformations within the family trial/victim-offender mediation in the film, I will try to develop a notion of law that incorporates the retributive elements into a broader framework of restoration and amendment. I will use cultural analysis as a foundation for the theoretical argument and also offer an "appropriate justice," inter-cultural formula for addressing crime in a comprehensive manner.