by Sally Roberts

The premise of Men and Chicken (Mæd and Høns) seems all too familiar. Two brothers, a dying father, a posthumous video, confessions, a bizarre family, a mysterious house, a mysterious past. So far, so familiar – we’ve seen it all before. What follows – masturbation, violence, bestiality, a corpse and a hell of a lot of animals – is ever so slightly less conventional. These delightfully unexpected twists and turns form part of the brilliance of this outstanding comedy. Another factor of Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen’s genius is his ability to meld a range of contrasting themes and even genres into one hundred and four minutes without overwhelming the plot. It flows from comedy to gothic mystery to family drama and even touches in sci-fi; it is funny, touching and chilling in equal dollops. Laughter – not just a polite chuckle, but a full cackle – smoothly transitions in genuine apprehension and sorrow. The topic glides from the human question for knowledge, to the ethics of science, to the importance of belonging, to the death of old cultures, to the value of family. It is difficult to discuss this film without making lists.

But Jensen cannot take all the credit. What makes the film a masterpiece and allows such disturbing material to be delightful is the flawless acting. Mads Mikkelsen is spectacularly manic as the unstable older brother Elias, who opens the film with the worst date ever filmed. Nicolas Bro (who you may recognise as the well intentioned politician from The Killing) delivers as much physical comedy as he does priceless one-liners. How they ever managed to complete these exceptionally well written scenes with a straight face will forever remain a mystery.

A simple review, no matter how gushing, cannot do Men and Chicken the justice it deserves. The only thing comparable to this film is the 2011 French hit The Intouchables (Intouchable), which achieves a similar balance between upbeat comedy and heartfelt sorrow.

[imdb id=tt3877674]