It's a comedy, so needless to say, despite the presence of a minister amongst this motley group of misfits that live together at a church, the neo-Nazi is the sane one, the least likely to shoot a cat out of a tree. The skinhead might hate Pakistanis, but he has nothing against cats. Khalid(Ali Kazim) shoots skinheads, too, but we sense that he's apolitical. He'll shoot anybody, or anything. After all, he shot a cat.
Adam Petersen(Ulrich Thomsen) intimidates. Bald people are intimidating, especially if you're a skinhead and out on parole. Ivan(Mads Mikkelsen) is the minister that takes him in. Ivan, however, can't be intimidated, because he's crazy. He has a brain tumor. According to Adam, the minister is Job. Every time his bible falls to the floor, it lands on the Book of Job. The skinhead, the Pakistani, and Gunnar(Nicolas Bro), a recovering rapist, are supposed to be saved by God, with Ivan serving as his conduit. But the minister can't even save himself. "Adam's aebler" tells the story of how Adam helps reconcile the co-existence of evil and God, apparently, by baking an apple pie.
The film isn't shy about using bible imagery. There it is, an apple tree, ripped straight out of the pages of Genesis, a tree that's struck by lightning and catches on fire. The stove also catches on fire. Ivan was right. God is preventing Adam from baking an apple pie. Maybe he's Job, not Ivan, because he's certainly not Adam in the Garden of Eden, because Sarah(Paprika Steen) eats seven apples without doing herself any harm.
There's a happy ending to "Adam's aebler", but it's a bumpy ride. People behave badly in this dark, allegorical comedy, so you'll need a strong stomach.
Adam Petersen(Ulrich Thomsen) intimidates. Bald people are intimidating, especially if you're a skinhead and out on parole. Ivan(Mads Mikkelsen) is the minister that takes him in. Ivan, however, can't be intimidated, because he's crazy. He has a brain tumor. According to Adam, the minister is Job. Every time his bible falls to the floor, it lands on the Book of Job. The skinhead, the Pakistani, and Gunnar(Nicolas Bro), a recovering rapist, are supposed to be saved by God, with Ivan serving as his conduit. But the minister can't even save himself. "Adam's aebler" tells the story of how Adam helps reconcile the co-existence of evil and God, apparently, by baking an apple pie.
The film isn't shy about using bible imagery. There it is, an apple tree, ripped straight out of the pages of Genesis, a tree that's struck by lightning and catches on fire. The stove also catches on fire. Ivan was right. God is preventing Adam from baking an apple pie. Maybe he's Job, not Ivan, because he's certainly not Adam in the Garden of Eden, because Sarah(Paprika Steen) eats seven apples without doing herself any harm.
There's a happy ending to "Adam's aebler", but it's a bumpy ride. People behave badly in this dark, allegorical comedy, so you'll need a strong stomach.