Adam's Apples
Encyclopedia
Adam's Apples is a 2005 Danish comedy-drama film directed by Anders Thomas Jensen
. The film revolves around the theme of the Book of Job
. The main roles are played by Ulrich Thomsen
and Mads Mikkelsen
.
In order to be rehabilitated, he tells Adam he must choose a task to complete; when he achieves this goal, he will be free to leave the parish. Trying to provoke a reaction from the priest, Adam chooses the goal of baking an apple pie. Ivan accepts the goal, with the addendum it must be made from apples from the tree that grows in the churchyard.
Adam sets about tending the tree, but it does not go well: first crows attack the apples, and later most of those that remain are eaten by worms. After he has been at the church for some time, a distraught woman named Sarah arrives, and tells the priest that she is a former alcoholic who recently became pregnant after a one night stand; she has been told it is probable her child will be born with health problems. Ivan counsels her against an abortion, mentioning his own son, who had been expected to be born with cerebral palsy. He tells her how glad he and his wife were to have had him. Later, it is revealed that Ivan's son, Christopher, has cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair; Ivan seems to ignore his son's problems and carries on as if he were a normal boy.
Adam discovers that Ivan's life has been very difficult. His son's condition drove his wife to suicide (although Ivan insists her death was an accident); he and his sister were molested as children. Despite these problems, Ivan remains upbeat. When Adam eventually confronts him about Christopher's illness, he becomes distressed, and starts bleeding from the ear. After Adam takes him to the hospital, the doctor reveals that Ivan is suffering from a potentially fatal brain tumour; as long as he is allowed to continue in his delusions, the tumour seems not to affect him, but if he is forced to confront reality, he starts bleeding and his condition worsens.
At first, Adam does not act on his discovery. But one night, he angrily confronts Ivan about his life on purpose, concluding by telling him that God must hate him to punish him so, citing the book of Job. Ivan falls bleeding to the floor; Adam leaves him there for several hours, but after a seemingly divine signal, he eventually returns and takes Ivan to the hospital. When he wakes up the next day, Ivan decides to give up on life. His doctor predicts he does not have long to live. The community then gradually falls apart: Gunnar and Sarah start drinking again, and have a drunken affair; and Khalid decides to rob another gas station, but this time killing everyone inside. Adam and Gunnar quickly decide to join him and while the robbery goes through, Adam prevents anyone from being hurt.
Several members of Adam's former gang have already visited the church and confronted Khalid, who shot and wounded them. After Ivan's return from hospital, they return, this time intending to kill Khalid. During the noisy confrontation, Ivan comes out of the church, demanding to be allowed to die in peace. A scuffle ensues and Adam's former deputy accidentally shoots the priest in the eye. Khalid is distraught, and leaves the village (a deleted scene reveals he makes it safely back to the Middle East).
At the hospital, the doctor predicts Ivan will be dead by morning. Suddenly guiltstricken, Adam decides to make him the apple pie he had set as his goal. He returns to the church only to discover that the apples he had harvested have been eaten by Sarah and Christopher. Luckily, Gunnar stole one of them, which he now gives to Adam.
Adam stays up all night baking a tiny, one-apple pie for Ivan. But when he arrives at the hospital, he finds that Ivan's bed is empty. Assuming the worst, he goes to find Ivan's doctor, who tells him that the priest is in the garden - the bullet hit and neatly removed the tumour that had been going to kill him, leaving him in perfect health. Adam quickly goes and meets Ivan, and two happily consume the pie.
In the epilogue, Sarah and Gunnar wed, and Sarah gives birth to a child with Down syndrome
, but the two accept it and plan to move to Indonesia, where Gunnar will return to tennis. Adam, now with a full head of hair, remains as an assistant to Ivan, and the opening scene of the movie is replayed, now with Ivan and Adam welcoming two similarly troubled men at the bus station.
Anders Thomas Jensen
Anders Thomas Jensen is a Danish screenwriter and film director.Jensen won the Oscar for his 1998 film Election Night...
. The film revolves around the theme of the Book of Job
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
. The main roles are played by Ulrich Thomsen
Ulrich Thomsen
Ulrich Thomsen is a Danish actor.Thomsen was born in Fyn, Denmark and graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in 1993, after which playing on several theatres in Copenhagen, such as Dr. Dantes Aveny, Mungo Park and Østre Gasværks Teater.His film debut was in...
and Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen
' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
.
Plot
After being released from prison, Adam, the former leader of a neo-Nazi gang, is required to spend several months living in a small religious community, headed by a priest named Ivan. Two other former prisoners are being rehabilitated at the same time: Khalid, an Arab burglar who occasionally holds up petrol stations as a form of political protest, and Gunnar, an obese, alcoholic, kleptomaniac convicted rapist. Ivan believes firmly in the goodness of man, and seems blind to their continuing misdeeds.In order to be rehabilitated, he tells Adam he must choose a task to complete; when he achieves this goal, he will be free to leave the parish. Trying to provoke a reaction from the priest, Adam chooses the goal of baking an apple pie. Ivan accepts the goal, with the addendum it must be made from apples from the tree that grows in the churchyard.
Adam sets about tending the tree, but it does not go well: first crows attack the apples, and later most of those that remain are eaten by worms. After he has been at the church for some time, a distraught woman named Sarah arrives, and tells the priest that she is a former alcoholic who recently became pregnant after a one night stand; she has been told it is probable her child will be born with health problems. Ivan counsels her against an abortion, mentioning his own son, who had been expected to be born with cerebral palsy. He tells her how glad he and his wife were to have had him. Later, it is revealed that Ivan's son, Christopher, has cerebral palsy, and uses a wheelchair; Ivan seems to ignore his son's problems and carries on as if he were a normal boy.
Adam discovers that Ivan's life has been very difficult. His son's condition drove his wife to suicide (although Ivan insists her death was an accident); he and his sister were molested as children. Despite these problems, Ivan remains upbeat. When Adam eventually confronts him about Christopher's illness, he becomes distressed, and starts bleeding from the ear. After Adam takes him to the hospital, the doctor reveals that Ivan is suffering from a potentially fatal brain tumour; as long as he is allowed to continue in his delusions, the tumour seems not to affect him, but if he is forced to confront reality, he starts bleeding and his condition worsens.
At first, Adam does not act on his discovery. But one night, he angrily confronts Ivan about his life on purpose, concluding by telling him that God must hate him to punish him so, citing the book of Job. Ivan falls bleeding to the floor; Adam leaves him there for several hours, but after a seemingly divine signal, he eventually returns and takes Ivan to the hospital. When he wakes up the next day, Ivan decides to give up on life. His doctor predicts he does not have long to live. The community then gradually falls apart: Gunnar and Sarah start drinking again, and have a drunken affair; and Khalid decides to rob another gas station, but this time killing everyone inside. Adam and Gunnar quickly decide to join him and while the robbery goes through, Adam prevents anyone from being hurt.
Several members of Adam's former gang have already visited the church and confronted Khalid, who shot and wounded them. After Ivan's return from hospital, they return, this time intending to kill Khalid. During the noisy confrontation, Ivan comes out of the church, demanding to be allowed to die in peace. A scuffle ensues and Adam's former deputy accidentally shoots the priest in the eye. Khalid is distraught, and leaves the village (a deleted scene reveals he makes it safely back to the Middle East).
At the hospital, the doctor predicts Ivan will be dead by morning. Suddenly guiltstricken, Adam decides to make him the apple pie he had set as his goal. He returns to the church only to discover that the apples he had harvested have been eaten by Sarah and Christopher. Luckily, Gunnar stole one of them, which he now gives to Adam.
Adam stays up all night baking a tiny, one-apple pie for Ivan. But when he arrives at the hospital, he finds that Ivan's bed is empty. Assuming the worst, he goes to find Ivan's doctor, who tells him that the priest is in the garden - the bullet hit and neatly removed the tumour that had been going to kill him, leaving him in perfect health. Adam quickly goes and meets Ivan, and two happily consume the pie.
In the epilogue, Sarah and Gunnar wed, and Sarah gives birth to a child with Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, but the two accept it and plan to move to Indonesia, where Gunnar will return to tennis. Adam, now with a full head of hair, remains as an assistant to Ivan, and the opening scene of the movie is replayed, now with Ivan and Adam welcoming two similarly troubled men at the bus station.
Cast
- Ulrich ThomsenUlrich ThomsenUlrich Thomsen is a Danish actor.Thomsen was born in Fyn, Denmark and graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance in 1993, after which playing on several theatres in Copenhagen, such as Dr. Dantes Aveny, Mungo Park and Østre Gasværks Teater.His film debut was in...
as Adam Pedersen - Mads MikkelsenMads Mikkelsen' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
as Ivan Fjeldsted - Nicolas BroNicolas BroNicolas Bro is a Danish actor born in Copenhagen, Denmark.He has grown up in the family of actors – mother is Danish actress Helle Hertz and father is an actor Christoffer Bro....
as Gunnar - Paprika SteenPaprika SteenPaprika Steen is a Danish actress and film director best known for her performances in the films Festen, The Idiots and Open Hearts...
as Sarah Svendsen - Ali Kazim as Khalid
- Ole Thestrup as Dr. Kolberg
- Nikolaj Lie KaasNikolaj Lie KaasNikolaj Lie Kaas is a prominent Danish actor whose career rose in the 1990s and who is still actively working today. He is also the host of the annual Zulu Comedy Galla on Danish TV....
as Holger - Gyrd Løfquist as Poul Nordkap
- Lars Ranthe as Esben
- Peter ReichhardtPeter ReichhardtPeter Reichhardt is a Danish actor and theatre director. He is the son of actors Poul Reichhardt and Charlotte Ernst. He was the director of the Mungo Park in Lillerød from 1998 - 2005 .-Selected filmography:- External links :...
as Nalle - Tomas Villum Jensen as Arne
- Peter Lambert as Jørgen