Introduction
There is no one in the hospital room when Adam visits his terminally ill mentor, vicar Ivan. Humiliated time after time by his mentees at church and confronted with an array of misfortunes in life, the vicar had been fighting cancer, got shot in the head by a member of a Neo-Nazi gang, and seemingly, lost the battle for survival. However, the doctor announces that despite all odds, the bullet removed the brain tumor; Ivan recovered and is off to the hospital garden. Adam stands struck and dumbfounded for he witnesses a real wonder of a man escaping certain death.
Overview
In Adam’s Apples, 2005 Danish tar-pitched comedy by Anders Thomas Jensen, overly optimistic preacher Ivan takes care of Neo-Nazi Adam, Afghan thief Khalid, and rapist Gunnar. The trio is recently released from prison and does mandatory community service at his church. There are two sides to the vicar’s optimism; he seems to be lenient towards the people that need sternness and guidance and oblivious about life as he tries to process his trauma. This essay deals with the theme of the “Divine” in the movie and examines the characters’ testing of faith.
Understanding of Religion
Anders Thomas Jensen’s portrayal of a modern person’s journey in God or without Him complies with the postmodern paradigm of religion as the director does not take a hard stand nor answers if the events are caused by God. Ivan does not question religion; to him, the Devil tests him with misfortunes, but good faith makes him resilient. Adam, on the other hand, is skeptical and eager to confront the vicar, seeking to prove that Ivan’s miserable life is a sign of God’s hatred. The movie’s broader theme deals with spirituality that finds incarnation in Ivan who seeks non-materialistic good, practices forgiveness, and is concerned with the integrity of the human spirit. Adam, on the other hand, surrenders to most violent instincts and is vexed by Ivan’s serenity. The conflict forces the vicar to stand firm in his faith, and the mentee to reassess his convictions.
Plight of Ivan
Through Ivan’s figure, director Jensen depicts the story of Job and his testing of faith. His plight is woeful: a victim of child sexual abuse, Ivan witnesses his wife’s suicide, raises a disabled child, and fights cancer; however, he shows no anger for the almighty God. For all that, the story grows dark Ivan displays shocking unawareness of reality: Ivan is convinced that his child is perfectly healthy, and his wife didn’t commit suicide. At this point, the viewer may conclude that absolute faith quickly turns blind, and a Godly man becomes deluded which may, in turn, undermine religion exposing believers as foolish. However, akin to the Biblical Job, after a life of misery, Ivan is given grace and healed which justifies his perseverance in faith.
Faith in People
Another way Ivan’s faith is tested is through his hardships with the mentees. First Ivan’s humility and “love for his neighbors” baffles and overwhelms the trio, the most troublesome of which is undoubtedly Adam (Adam’s Apples). At the beginning of the movie, he attacks his housemates and keeps Hitler’s portrait in his room. Despite his hostile demeanor, the character is not devoid of redeeming qualities such as determination, which Ivan sees. However, he does not preach to him but lets him witness something genuinely life-changing. At one point, Adam is brought to a hospital where he meets an old man, who was a ward at a concentration camp, on his deathbed. The patient’s repentance moves Adam; soon, the infamous portrait is gone. The scene is pivotal to understanding the theme of the testing of faith. For Ivan, it takes a firm belief to reject imposing ideas and trust the good in people whereas, for Adam, it takes an encounter with someone who practiced his views to reject them.
God in Adam’s Apples
When examining the lives of the main characters in Adam’s Apples, one finds it difficult to claim that the movie’s God is a fair God. The comedy offers a striking opposition between a Godly man’s miserable life and a tainted Neo-Nazi’s quick redemption without facing any real repercussions. At the same time, having assumed a different standpoint, one may also describe God as the one that lets the characters take steps, but directs their paths. He seems to encourage strong will on par with a steadfast belief; the concept seems plausible as the characters who possessed precisely these traits turned out to be rewarded. At that, their stories seem to be utterly believable, devoid of any sense of mystery.
The Duality
The movie deepened my understanding of religion due to the duality of God mentioned earlier. His justice is outrageous, he is not devoid of human weaknesses as he may not be rewarding the right people (Ivan); at the same time, his compassion for the lost and sinful (Adam) is overwhelming. I agree with such a portrayal for from a Christian standpoint, I interpret this seemingly intractable ambiguity in line with the depictions of God in Old and New Testaments.
Conclusion
All in all, in Adam’s Apples, creator Anders Thomas Jensen wisely shies away from being self-righteous and brings the viewer to ask questions the answers to which the comedy never gives. Depending on their convictions, one is free to choose if it was the firm belief that saved Ivan or a coincidence, or if redemption is always a possibility even for a deeply tainted man. One claim, however, stands true. Even under the postmodern paradigm of doubt and relentless questioning, in his compelling narrative, the director shows real-life wonders and a feasible portrayal of one’s hardships and salvation.
Work Cited
Adam’s Apples. Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, performances by Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, and Ali Kazim, Outsider Pictures, 2005.