Modern life can be rubbish. Working all the hours under the sun to pay for a house you never have time to really enjoy. In a job which is unrewarding and to fund a lifestyle which costs more by the week. I think we’ve all thought, at some point, of packing it all in. Moving to the middle of nowhere and living off the land. Free to do whatever you want. To live a simple and self-sufficient life. Just you and the great outdoors. That’s exactly what one man does in Wild Men, but his plans go awry.
Martin (Rasmus Bjerg) has had enough. He has just upped and left his family, without saying a word to his wife (Sofie Gråbøl), and moved into a tent in the Norwegian mountains. When hunting doesn’t quite go to plan, the Dane is forced to rob the local supermarket at arrow-point. This sets him on a collision course with Musa (Zaki Youssef), who, after a car crash, is on the run himself. Martin decides to help him reach his destination.
Wild Men is an amusing offbeat buddy comedy which throws two fish out of water together to good effect. Thomas Daneskov’s midlife crisis crime caper relies on a beautifully judged central performance from Bjerg. While the cast of colourful supporting characters all play their part, it’s Martin which makes everything tick. Wild Men revels in downplaying the serious and celebrating the unwavering naivety of the man-child.
Wild Men screens at Glasgow Film Festival.
