From left, Nicolas Bro, Nikolaj Lie Kass, and Mads Mikkelsen in Men & Chicken (Drafthouse Films)

Ever wonder what would happen if a chicken and a pig mated and had a baby? This grim tale set in Denmark mixes dark humor with, well, Darwinism. This unusual comedy is chock-full of evolutionary theory, centered on two brothers of a genetic scientist supposedly living on a Danish island called Ork. What unravels as these two brothers return home to find their birth parents is a series of jaw dropping, outlandish moments and humorous incidents. Director Anders Thomas Jensen’s twisted, slapstick comedy proves to be clever, entertaining, and down-right hilarious, in its odd way.

The two brothers find out the man who raised them, who they thought was their biological father, was in fact not. They have the same father but different mothers, which they learn from watching a videotape that their dead dad left for them. (Gabriel is miraculously the only person with a VCR in 2016.) So Gabriel (David Dencik), an evolutionary psychology and philosophy professor, and Elias (Mads Mikkelsen), his unpolished brother and a habitual masturbator, head south to the island of Ork to find their real father, and, hopefully, mother(s).

When the two men arrive at their biological father’s rundown sanitarium on the nearly deserted island, they are welcomed by three men who share similar physical attributes to the brothers. Gabriel tries to explain to them that he believes that they are family. The three men immediately begin attacking Gabriel and Elias with pots, pans, and a dead swan in a rather comedic beatdown. On the way back, Gabriel gets run over by the car of the mayor, and then later, at the mayor’s house, the brothers learn that their father had a nickname on the island, “The Sausage of Death.” This was because all of his sons had different mothers, who were all believed to have died during childbirth.

Elias and Gabriel return to their father’s house the next day, and are again welcomed with pots and pans and violence. Only this time, they begin to fight back. All five end up pretty much beating each other up, and then become more civil, like basically your typical family holiday get-together. The three brothers, at first, tell Elias and Gabriel that their father is alive, but he cannot be disturbed because he is sick with an infection. Gabriel finds this suspect, so he snoops around late at night only to find his dad’s corpse rotting in his bedroom. Elias jokingly says to his brother, “You won’t get much out of him. Maybe you will have better luck finding your mother.” This provokes Gabriel to take charge and start making some changes for his newfound family. Being the only one educated, Gabriel realizes that his new brothers are in desperate need of guidance. He attempts to start making them more civilized instead of so animallike.

It won’t be easy. One brother, Josef (Nicolas Bro), later speaks up and says, “The Bible is a widely considered the foundation western ideology…. It’s said to contain guidelines for our civilization, and I’ve always wanted to read it.” This speaks volumes about the isolated bubble these three brothers are living in, and his interpretation has its own unique perspective. For example, Josef summarizes a biblical story by remarking, “Abraham’s undiagnosed schizophrenia makes the voices in his head worsen,” offering his scientific perception of the Old Testament.

Starring a well-known Danish cast (though maybe unrecognizable under the hair and makeup), this murky comedy proves to be both intelligent and insightful. Evolutionary themes surround this scientific-leaning film, as well some fascinating atheist ideas. A cleverly written and original bizarro comedy.