Description

Denmark’s unique brand of edgy black comedy has never been more provocative than it is in this contemporary religious fable from wunderkind Anders Thomas Jensen. Adam (Ulrich Thomsen) is a neo-Nazi sentenced to community service in a remote vicarage, under the watch of an intensely devout priest named Ivan (Mads Mikkelsen, proving himself once again among his country’s strongest talents). Ivan has faith. In everything, and everyone. To a degree that stretches well beyond the limits of sanity and towards the outskirts of spiritual torment. He forces Adam to commit to a goal of his own choosing, and to appease him, the skinhead opts to simply bake an apple pie. He is thus entrusted with maintaining the parish’s apple tree. Alas, even the simplest of plans can be torn apart by fate, and Adam soon sees all nature of calamity hit the tree -- worms, lightning, crows… Are forces from beyond our world working against his half-hearted plans for baked redemption? Meanwhile, the other (dysfunctional and mostly criminal) residents of the vicarage are driving Adam out of his skull. To amuse himself, he sets out on a cruel mission to shatter Vicar Ivan’s faith, which is beginning to appear more hollow with every passing minute.

A darkly witty and sometimes shocking film that treads a fine line between whimsy and sarcasm, Adams Apples has been traveling the international festival circuit for two years strong -- scoring many awards along its path -- and we’re thrilled to finally be able to bring it to Montreal. Jensen’s talent for writing mega-engaging dialogue and scenarios (aside from directing the acclaimed Green Butchers, Jensen scripted such films as In China They Eat Dogs, Old Men in New Cars and After the Wedding) is in full glory here, de-constructing interpretations of innocence and corruption in ways that frequently surprise, and at times play like a satire of Bergman’s Winter Light! His ensemble cast, which includes Ali Kazim as an aspiring terrorist, Ole Thestrup as the coldest doctor you’ve ever seen and the great Nicolas Bro -- who can also be seen at this year’s festival in Offscreen and Uro -- as a lovably awkward sex offender, lights up the screen like a solar eclipse. Those of you who only know Mikkelsen as the villain from Casino Royale, or possibly his roles in the Pusher films, will be astonished by what he does here. If you’re hungry for a film that will leave you feeling uplifted, mocked and sucker-punched, Adams Apples is your ticket to nirvana.

—Mitch Davis

“Funny, politically incorrect and, somewhere deep down, thoughtful” – Gunnar Rehlin, VARIETY

“Offers an odd blend of subversively sly narrative mixed with bursts of sudden, sharp violence and goofy slapstick. This Danish comedy is dark, dark, dark” – Marjorie Baumgarten, AUSTIN CHRONICLE

“There's a fascinating ambiguity to the happy fantasy laid over misery and failure” – Sean Axmaker, GREENCINE

Website

http://adamsapplesthemovie.net/

Credits

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Screenplay: Anders Thomas Jensen
Cast: Ulrich Thomsen Mads Mikkelsen Nicolas Bro Paprika Steen Ali Kazim
Producers: Mie Andreasen, Kim Magnusson, Tivi Magnusson
Distributor: AZ Films

Screens with...

Premiere / / | min language, subtitles