Film Review: Wild Men

Writers: Thomas Daneskov and Morten Pape

Director: Thomas Daneskov

If Norwegian film Wild Men is sufficiently successful to prompt an American remake one wonders about possible revisions. The central character could change from a baffled idealist to an offensive hyper-individualist COVID-denier or his ramshackle quest turn into an Adam Sandler style ‘men struggling to mature’ goofball comedy. In its current form the movie has an off-centre innocence; a study of male insecurity and disappointment set against a ravishing scenic backdrop.

A splendid opening from director (and co-author with Morten Pape) Thomas Daneskov sets the mood of a society in which ideals and hopes rarely match reality. A scene that could be from the Viking period, complete with a hulking hunter in rough furs, turns out to be in the present day when he fluffs a shot at a deer, has to make do with a frog for dinner and, in desperation, descends from the lush forest to try and bargain for convenience food at a supermarket.

Martin (Rasmus Bjerg) is hit hard by his mid-life crisis and, while pretending to his wife Anne (Sofie Gråbøl) to be on a training course from work, rejects present day complexities and goes back to living as a hunter/gatherer. But the theme of the movie- reality rarely matching hopes- quickly becomes apparent; Martin is a failure as a hunter and constantly relies on modern conveniences. When Martin encounters injured hiker Musa (Zaki Youssef) he gains a sense of purpose joining him on his quest to find a commune that has rejected the modern world. But Musa is actually a drug smuggler on the run with a bag of cash and attracts the attention of jaded police officer Øyvind (Bjørn Sundquist).

The title is accurate as Wild Men is told almost entirely from the male viewpoint, there are few female characters and one of them is a highly unsympathetic nagging wife. This does not mean; however, authors Thomas Daneskov and Morten Pape are uncritical of the angst-ridden male attitude. Sofie Gråbøl and Bjørn Sundquist become representative of a mature, grown-up viewpoint; capable of seeing Martin’s ideals as unrealistic even a bit childish. Rather than a sense of stale disappointment this approach, together with the leisurely pace of the movie, makes for a beautiful melancholic atmosphere.

Although a rueful comedy Wild Men covers serious topics. It acknowledges how the complexities of modern life can generate a longing for a simpler existence but is aware how rare it is to be able to achieve such a lifestyle without compromise. Martin is scandalised when a back to nature commune turns out to be more of a Cosplay convention which accepts credit cards and refuses barter (desperate to prove his credibility one resident proclaims he sleeps under a reindeer skin). The purpose of work is examined with one police officer using it as distraction from grief while another refuses to undertake any hazardous assignments on the grounds he has a family to take into account. Masculinity is not regarded as toxic but rather inadequate or confused. Police officers struggle to offer comfort to Martin’s children as they look for their missing father.

Wild Men does not conform to established formats. The thriller aspect with Martin and Musa on the run from the police and the mob defies convention as the pace is leisurely, scenes are set mostly in bright daylight and the showdown is understated with characters dodging under washing lines of laundry. The buddy movie relationship is not really developed, and, for a criminal, Musa seems remarkably soft-hearted.

Rasmus Bjerg plays Martin with a child-like sense of outrage and confusion at how the world refuses to conform to his ideals. It would be easy to see the character as petulant and narcissistic but Bjerg’s sincere disappointment brings unexpected dignity to someone who is potentially hard to like. Martin is a highly contemporary protagonist – unhappy with his current situation but unsure what he really wants and getting quickly out of his depth. Most of the humour in the movie comes from Martin’s inadequacies- accidently chucking away provisions while demonstrating how to keep them safe from being waterlogged in a river. Bjerg’s appealing performance ensures, while the audience might wince at his mistakes, they share, rather than mock, his embarrassment.

Wild Men avoids any whimsy to provide a surprisingly funny look at male disillusionment and the difficulty of achieving one’s hopes.

Blue Finch Film Releasing presentsWild Men in cinemas 6 May.