Taking place in the economically faultering city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Joel Potrykus' Ape tells the story of Trevor Newandyke, a failing standup comedian, quasi-sociopath, and part-time arsonist. Trevor lives his life in solitary, in his small apartment where he spends lot of his time practicing his terrible jokes in front of the mirror. When he isn't bombing on stage in front of a live audience, Trevor likes to set fire to random things, getting a sense of joy out of the ordeal, similar to why a dog sticks its head out the window. One day, Trevor comes across a man dressed as the Devil, who gives him a Golden Apple. Nihilistic, strange, and downbeat, Ape is a film that takes a pensive look into a borderline sociopath who has little to no true ambitions. Trevor is not a violent character, quite the opposite, but he is incredibly immature and simple in the way he lives his life and interacts with the people around him. Trevor's life is something that he fails at daily, with humiliation not only on the stage but also in his everyday life. He is someone who wants to focus on the simple things, attempting the drown out the humilation in metal music and pyrotechnics. Joel Potrykus creates an impressive character study with Ape, embracing the nueroses of Trevor in an unnerving way. Given what sounds like a weighty and dark subject, Ape's crowning achievement is in the way it manages to be playful and carry a unique tone, given the film's nihilistic arch. A man of no future, the main protagonist in Joel Potrykus' debut feature is more than likely an exaggerated portrait of today's youth, a generation that lacks direction.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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