Product Details

• Actors: Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Paprika Steen, Nicolas Bro, Nikolaj Lie Kaas
• Directors: Anders Thomas Jensen
• Producers: Adam's Apples ( Adams æbler ) ( Adams Äpfel ), Adam's Apples, Adams æbler, Adams Äpfel
• Format: Import, PAL, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 2 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Nordisk
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000KKNPRA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,486 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Denmark released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: Danish ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), Danish ( Dolby DTS 5.1 ), Danish ( Subtitles ), English ( Subtitles ), Finnish ( Subtitles ), Norwegian ( Subtitles ), Swedish ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Behind the scenes, Deleted Scenes, Interactive Menu, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: An overly-optimistic preacher with a penchant for taking in lost causes to help around his remote church finds his rose-tinted view of the world challenged by a psychotic neo-Nazi he is trying to reform in this jet black comedy from Green Butchers screenwriter/director Anders Thomas Jensen. Vicar Ivan (Mads Mikkelsen) prides himself on his efforts to help those in need by offering them a variety of odd jobs around the church and spreading the good word. After 'adopting' a violent Saudi immigrant and a drunken tennis pro with a history of sexual assault, Ivan is approached by Adam (Ulrich Thomsen) -- a decidedly non-reformed neo-Nazi planning to lie low in the countryside for a spell before returning to the city to once again wreak havoc. When Ivan inquires as to what his new charge's goal will be during his stay in the countryside, the snide hooligan sarcastically states that he would like to bake a cake -- a response which prompts the gullible Ivan to place him in charge of the church's cherished apple tree. As ravens immediately descend upon the tree, Ivan concludes that Satan is attempting to prevent Adam from realizing his true potential. Meanwhile, Adam takes it upon himself to give the cheery clergyman a crash course in the harsh realities of life. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: European Film Awards, Fantasporto Awards, ...Adam's Apples ( Adams æbler ) ( Adams Äpfel )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic struggle of good and evil in this metaphysical dark comedy -- cross between Kierkegaard and Groucho Marx, December 3, 2007

By 

Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Adam's Apples (DVD)

Adam, a convicted criminal and skinhead prone to violent rages, is sent to serve out the remainder of his jail sentence in community service at a small town church. The pastor, who refuses to accept -- even in the face of the most plain evidence -- that anyone can possibly be evil, assigns to him a task that seems trivial, until it begins to appear that the very cosmos is conspiring against him. The film explores the classic conflict between faith and reason and between good and evil in the most blunt way imaginable -- by pitting an obstinately naive believer against a stubbornly unrepentant and bitter neo-Nazi -- and completely avoids the pitfalls of predictability.

Adam's Apples manages to be both hilarious and profound, as well as endlessly inventive. Just when you think the stakes can't get any higher, something happens that is utterly unexpected and over the top and in hindsight completely in line with the plot as so far developed. Then the filmmaker ratchets things up a bit more. The mood, alternating between cheerful optimism and deep pessimism, is perfectly sustained by a rich musical score and by the lavish cinematography. This is a finely crafted film.

For those who are familiar with Danish film and especially with the Dogme 95 movement (in which Anders Thomas Jensen was a major contributor), the major actors will be familiar but are playing here gleefully against type. Mads Mikkelsen (yes, the bad guy from Casino Royale) as the pastor; Ulrich Thompson as the overweight convict Nazi, Adam; Parika Steen as a pregnant alcoholic. Every one of the characters is somehow both despicable and extremely likable. This was my favorite film that played at Sundance in 2006, and I have been surprised that it didn't get more widely publicized -- since every audience I saw it with (twice at Sundance and again in Florida) was practically rolling in the aisles and raving afterwards. My sense is that the religious theme, combined with a bit of pretty graphic violence and language, scared critics away and kept it from being widely released. That's a shame since it is a very well-made and very funny movie, that raises intriguing questions anyone with an open mind, whether religious or not, should find important. (in Danish w/ English subtitles)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Wonderful and Unexpected Find, March 16, 2008

By 

V. Koehler (Joliet, IL. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Adam's Apples (DVD)

Adams Apples is the blackest comedy that I have seen to date. I took a chance on this film not really knowing much about it, expect that is starred Mads Mikkelsen (he is an amazing actor) and that was enough for me.In my opinion he steals the whole movie. This movie is a great find and it really does make you think about good and evil, but in a totally unexpected way.One of the main characters, Ivan, only sees good in everything no matter how screwed up his life is and refuses to see it as anything but perfect becasue God loves him. The other main character,Adam, sees himself as the embodiment of evil and proclaims himself so and sets out to show Ivan that in fact God does not love him and that is why his life is as totally messed up as it is. What follows is the funniest jet black comedy, that keeps on getting blacker and funnier through out some crazy twists and turns. Though do keep in mind this movie is not exactly what we Americans would term politically corret, and that is a very good thing indeed.A movie well worth the subtitles.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't believe it took so long, December 16, 2007

By 

G. Gorman (Denver, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Adam's Apples (DVD)

I saw this nearly two years ago with Danish fiends and have been waiting for a local version... somehow it took two years.

In full agreement with the first reviewer who wrote with more detail and with greater and more eloquent length than will be here. But this movie is incredibly well-crafted in the stark extremes that are not only brought up but appear to be openly examined to allow the audience the shock of feeling that they should feel this or that based on the conventions that we often imprison ourselves in.

Tendency to think to self: Offense or shame or I-shouldn't be laughing at this, may come to mind at times, but this movie made me feel like it was a litmus test of my own psychological tendencies towards atrophied groupthink.

These moments or debates don't come up enough here; for being a standard U.S. citizen this movie is in the capacity of Eddie Izzard stand-up or Kurt Vonnegut worlds in permitting a vacation of the mind from the daily preoccupations and recycled comments to the matters brought up and discussed and done permitting the viewer to be part, without embarassment but occasionally with a bit of discomfort, for fun... c'est la vie.

And to my favorite Denmarkperson, Skol!