The Ape

Krister, a husband and father, wakes up to the consequences of a tragedy. He is a broken man, but not aware of it yet. Confronted with everyday reality, there is no place for escape and Krister is soon forced to face up to his actions. The Ape is about the struggle to hold on to things around us already lost. The question arises: What is left, when the life you once had is completely gone?

The Ape is only Jesper Ganslandt’s second feature film, yet the 31-year-old Swedish director proves that he knows a thing or two about suspense and building anxiety. For a third of the film we follow the whereabouts of a driving instructor whose uneasy demeanour, worried looks and sudden flare-ups of anger make us increasingly tense. The first image of him waking in caked blood is obviously haunting us. What murky affair has he been involved in? What has he done? Fredrik Wenzel’s photography, clear and steely, complements this story of a man’s undoing while Jesper Ganslandt’s nervous mise-en-scène and fast-paced editing gives it a modern edge. An impressive cast –first among them Olle Sarri in the lead – complete what turns out to be a very accomplished second feature film. –Agnès-Catherine Poirier, Venice Days