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Adam's Apples
"Congratulations! You've been cast in Casino Royale."
"Wonderful. I hope I don't have to bleed from an orifice this time."
"Well..."
Is this a dark comedy, or what? It's also the kind of model of efficiency I've come to expect from the typical Danish movie. From the alcoholic, kleptomaniac Gunnar to the no-nonsense Dr. Kolberg, there are exactly as many characters as the story calls for, and no line or scene is wasted. Just because it's light on fat doesn't mean it's light on heft or emotion, thankfully. The performances deserve credit for this, especially Mikkelsen's, who is utterly convincing as someone who must convince himself that all of his hardships are a result of God testing him in order to stay above ground. Even more impressive in a less showy and more inward role is Ulrich Thomsen, who makes Adam so despicable that he might as well spit black bile instead of saliva and comes across like if he's resisting redemption with every fiber of his being. The apple tree and all the disasters that befall it also provide an ideal metaphor as if it's the main story in miniature and it provides some of the biggest laughs, animal cruelty notwithstanding. The mournful, bassoon-heavy score, which seems to lament that Ivan has to suffer and that Adam has to be the way he is, is another nice touch. The movie concludes, appropriately, in a way that made me smile as much as it made me ask, "really?" I mean, how in the world are we supposed to believe...that Adam have possibly grown back a full head of hair so quickly?
I'm not the biggest fan of M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, but I do give it credit for how it explores faith. The way this movie questions the meaning and value of it reminds me of how well that movie does these things. If Ivan's literally life-saving story isn't enough, we have Khalid's misplaced vendetta against Statoil to not only make us wonder how many of the stories we tell ourselves to give us a reason to get up in the morning are actually true, but also if it matters if they are. With that said - and maybe it's because I'm not the most religious person in the world - what resonated with me even more in movie is how it explores what it means to be good or evil. This may just be a backhanded compliment to Thomsen, whose failure to understand why Ivan is the way he is and that he constantly questions his sincerity is akin to an alien failing to understand humanity. I would expect there to be miracles and occurrences that make you wonder if everything happens for a reason in a movie like this one, but I can't help but think that some of them are contrivances. Even so, with its fine performances, trademark Danish efficiency and dark yet hearty laughs, it's a movie that ends up being one Ivan would be proud of: it does more good than bad.
"Congratulations! You've been cast in Casino Royale."
"Wonderful. I hope I don't have to bleed from an orifice this time."
"Well..."
Is this a dark comedy, or what? It's also the kind of model of efficiency I've come to expect from the typical Danish movie. From the alcoholic, kleptomaniac Gunnar to the no-nonsense Dr. Kolberg, there are exactly as many characters as the story calls for, and no line or scene is wasted. Just because it's light on fat doesn't mean it's light on heft or emotion, thankfully. The performances deserve credit for this, especially Mikkelsen's, who is utterly convincing as someone who must convince himself that all of his hardships are a result of God testing him in order to stay above ground. Even more impressive in a less showy and more inward role is Ulrich Thomsen, who makes Adam so despicable that he might as well spit black bile instead of saliva and comes across like if he's resisting redemption with every fiber of his being. The apple tree and all the disasters that befall it also provide an ideal metaphor as if it's the main story in miniature and it provides some of the biggest laughs, animal cruelty notwithstanding. The mournful, bassoon-heavy score, which seems to lament that Ivan has to suffer and that Adam has to be the way he is, is another nice touch. The movie concludes, appropriately, in a way that made me smile as much as it made me ask, "really?" I mean, how in the world are we supposed to believe...that Adam have possibly grown back a full head of hair so quickly?
I'm not the biggest fan of M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, but I do give it credit for how it explores faith. The way this movie questions the meaning and value of it reminds me of how well that movie does these things. If Ivan's literally life-saving story isn't enough, we have Khalid's misplaced vendetta against Statoil to not only make us wonder how many of the stories we tell ourselves to give us a reason to get up in the morning are actually true, but also if it matters if they are. With that said - and maybe it's because I'm not the most religious person in the world - what resonated with me even more in movie is how it explores what it means to be good or evil. This may just be a backhanded compliment to Thomsen, whose failure to understand why Ivan is the way he is and that he constantly questions his sincerity is akin to an alien failing to understand humanity. I would expect there to be miracles and occurrences that make you wonder if everything happens for a reason in a movie like this one, but I can't help but think that some of them are contrivances. Even so, with its fine performances, trademark Danish efficiency and dark yet hearty laughs, it's a movie that ends up being one Ivan would be proud of: it does more good than bad.