In 2005, Anders Thomas Jensen wrote and instructed his fourth Danish comedy, Mænd og Høns, which got a record-breaking opening. The movie got a temporary diverse review by reviewers and moviegoers because of the movie´s grotesque and mixed genre signals. The thesis “Kroppen og det groteske – En karnevalistisk og posthumanistisk læsning af Mænd og Høns” will investigate the movie on the basis of theories concerning the posthumane and the carnivalesque which together with the humor in the grotesque can create a more thoroughly analysis of this dark comedy movie.
The fundamental of the analysis is Mikhail Bakhtin´s theory regarding the middle ages´ folksy culture of laughter, by which the carnival and the grotesque realism are leading elements in the philosophy of life and the aesthetic expression the culture of laughter carries with itself. Furthermore, the modern philosophical and cultural flow; posthumanism, will be included with focus on the theorists Marie Öhman, Cary Wolfe and N. Kathrine Hayles. Posthumanism can be noticed in relation to the material turn on the basis of the theorists Karan Barad and researchers of literature, Tobias Skiveren and Martin Gregersen. Because of the ecological perspective of the movie it will make sense to see the posthumanism in regards to the materialism and the ecocriticism, where by the body and animals will combine. Even though, carnivalism and the posthumanistic do not exist at the same level in the movie, they still, in connection with Mænd og Høns, perform well together by virtue of the grotesque realism and the perspective of the body.
The analysis focuses on a thematic perusal of the movie on the basic of the above-mentioned theories and an analysis based on film techniques in the light of a neoformalist film theory on the basis of David Bordwell’s Narration in Fiction film (1985). The analysis is divided into four sections: the characters and environment, the animals, the grotesque and the mythological, whereby the carnivalesque and the posthumanistic will be integrated continuously. Henceforth, it will be discussed whether Anders Thomas Jensen is capable of creating sympathy for his characters, and which significance it has for the success of the movie. In addition, the thesis ends with comments on to what extend Jensen manages to create a different look in Danish movies, which works both with different stylistic expression and a mix of genre plus ask questions about mainstream movie on a metalevel.