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. 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 parent. Gabriel and Elias discover that their natural father lives on the island of Ork. The brothers' first meeting with their real family doesn't go as expected. Stranded on the island, Gabriel and Elias meet the mayor and his daughter Ellen, a neurotic woman who hates herself, not to mention the world. Surrounded by most peculiar people, Gabriel and Elias confront their own abnormalities.
“I usually want to make films in which I embrace all genres. I need to check if I can mix slapstick with horror, drama and comedy, every time. Finding the right balance is the key. The ideas behind Men & Chicken came paradoxically from my children as I watched them play, realising how fragile our civilisation is. As a family, as society in general, we have to work on so many levels to make all of this work properly. One day, I just thought about what would the consequences be if I let my children go live on some remote island all by themselves for 10 years or so? That’s where the original spark for the story came from.” (Anders Thomas Jensen)
Anders Thomas Jensen
Born in 1972 in Frederiksværk, Denmark. At the age of 24 he started writing and making films. In 1999 Jensen won the Academy Award for Best Short Film with Election Night. He wrote the screenplay for several successful Scandinavian films, including Mifune, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, Brothers and In a Better World. By now already an established name on the Danish movie scene, Jensen’s 2000 directorial debut was Flickering Lights.