Men & Chicken (2015)

Two outcast brothers, through getting to know their unknown family, discover a horrible truth about themselves and their relatives.

Director:

Anders Thomas Jensen

Writer:

Anders Thomas Jensen

Stars:

David Dencik, Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

10 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
David Dencik	...	Gabriel
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Elias
Nikolaj Lie Kaas	...	Gregor
Søren Malling	...	Franz
Nicolas Bro	...	Josef
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stine Engberg Andersen	...	Epilog pige I
Rikke Louise Andersson	...	Sara
Ulla Asbjørn-Damsted	...	Gæst
Thor Bisbjerg	...	Hvid kittel II
Valdemar Bemmann Bredning	...	Boy I
Lisbet Dahl	...	Susan
Johnny Didriksen	...	Hvid kittel V
Matti Ehlers	...	Dreng børnehaven
Daniel Engstrup	...	Hvid kittel I
Jens Fitzau	...	Tjener I

Storyline

Gabriel and Elias are two very different brothers. Gabriel is a worn down university professor and Elias is a man whose only concern is women and trivial knowledge. During a lecture Gabriel receives a phone call. Their father is dead. Things take a turn when the brothers learn through a videotape recorded by their now late father, that he in fact wasn't their biological father. Gabriel and Elias discover that their biological father lives on the island Ork. They set out to the island and here they meet their real family. The brothers' first meeting with the family doesn't go as expected. Gabriel and Elias are stranded in the marshland of Ork. Here they meet the mayor of Ork and his daughter Ellen, a neurotic woman who hates her life, herself, her father and the island. Surrounded by abnormal people, Gabriel and Elias discover the truth about themselves and their relatives. A truth that while paralyzing them also sets them free.

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Plot Keywords:

zoophilia | genetic experiment | genetics | chicken | brother brother relationship | 

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Taglines:

Man vælger ikke selv sin familie (You don't choose your own family)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Denmark Germany

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

5 February 2015 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Men & Chicken

Filming Locations:

Beelitz, Brandenburg, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,654, 24 April 2016

Gross USA:

$30,207

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,765,472

Company Credits

Production Co:

M&M Productions, DCM Productions, Danmarks Radio (DR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was accused of "bullying" people with a harelip, saying that "People with a harelip are compared to mildly mentally disturbed people and/ or animals". The director later stated that this film pays tribute to all kinds of people, and honors people being different from each other.

User Reviews

Twisted Danish Comedy Blockbuster

Frequent beatings with cast iron skillets and hard stuffed animals, eugenics experiments gone tragically awry, and five brothers with a propensity for extremely odd and deviant behavior, all combine in a twisted Danish comedy blockbuster. Receiving news of their father's death, brothers Gabriel and Elias reunite after a long period of not contacting each other. They set out to collect the body from a remote and sparsely populated island and dilapidated mansion with free- roaming chickens, goats, sheep and three brothers they never knew they had. None of the siblings is playing with a full deck, yet the one language they have in common is violence. Their attempts to reconcile are hilarious and result in childish fights over insane rules, cheese, who gets a plate with their favorite animal on it, beatings with rolling pins as well as a stuffed beaver, and memorable trips to town to find women. Every subject is fair game for humor including kids, science, hygiene, families, politics, the sick and dead, elders, animals, the handicapped, gender, sex and more.

This really warped and genuinely funny film is truly an original. It is an antidote to the same old gruel from the traditional studios. The soundtrack, including music from vibrating saws, is a perfect accompaniment to the bizarre behavior of this non-traditional and wacky family. The acting is well done. Yes, that is Mads Mikkelsen! The only drawback is the difficulty in translation and a wish that the film was longer. Real life inspiration for the film included the director's four kids, who fought over animal plates as the brothers do on screen. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.