The Ape is a 2009 Swedish drama film

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 directed by Jesper Ganslandt. It is Ganslandt's second feature film, following Falkenberg Farewell

Falkenberg Farewell

Falkenberg Farewell is a 2006 Swedish drama film, written and directed by Jesper Ganslandt. It was nominated for four Guldbagge Awards including Best Film as well as being selected as Sweden's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.-Plot:The film presents five childhood...

from 2006. Inspired by British director Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh

Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...

, the film uses an unconventional method where the lead actor, Olle Sarri

Olle Sarri

-Films:*1989 - The Journey to Melonia*1996 - Monopol*1997 - Välkommen till festen*2000 - Together*2001 - Om inte*2006 - Kidz in da Hood*2009 - The Ape*2010 - Äntligen Midsommar-Television:* 1978 - Olles mammas morbror...

, wasn't allowed to read the script. Instead he was led to locations and instructed before the filming of each scene, unaware of the full plot until filming was completed. The title comes from an anecdote composer Erik Enocksson once told the director, where he while travelling on a packed bus suddenly got the feeling that all people around him were apes.

Cast

• Olle Sarri
  Olle Sarri
  -Films:*1989 - The Journey to Melonia*1996 - Monopol*1997 - Välkommen till festen*2000 - Together*2001 - Om inte*2006 - Kidz in da Hood*2009 - The Ape*2010 - Äntligen Midsommar-Television:* 1978 - Olles mammas morbror...
  
   as Krister
• Françoise Joyce as the mother
• Sean Pietrulewicz as the son
• Niclas Gillis as Jonas
• Samuel Haus
  Samuel Haus
  Samuel Haus, born April 1, 1990 in Iaşi, Romania, is a Swedish actor. He is most known for portraying the role of Tsatsiki in the Swedish film Tsatsiki, Morsan och Polisen.-Filmography:*1999 - Tsatsiki, Morsan och Polisen...
  
   as Jonas' friend
• Eva Rexed as driving school student
• Lennart Andersson as the neighbour
• Lena Carlsson as the wife
• Thore Flygel as salesman
• Anders Johannisson as man in the square
• Sonny Johnson as Police

Release

The Ape premiered on 3 September 2009 at the Venice Film Festival

66th Venice International Film Festival

The 66th annual Venice Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, was opened on September 2, 2009 by Baarìa - La porta del vento. International competition jury, led by Ang Lee, awarded Leone d'Oro to Lebanon...

, in the section Venice Days. It was subsequently shown as part of the Vanguard section at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

2009 Toronto International Film Festival

The 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 10 and September 19, 2009. The opening night gala presented the Charles Darwin biography Creation...

 and at the London International Film Festival, in October 2009.