In this dark Danish comedy, human flesh becomes the secret ingredient for success.
In short: When two butchers open a shop to escape their arrogant boss, a series of accidents leads them to sell human meat. Marketed as a special delicacy, the product becomes an overnight sensation. This 2003 film explores the absurdity of human desperation, greed, and the strange search for belonging.
Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, The Green Butchers (De grønne slagtere) follows Svend and Bjarne, two butchers who quit their jobs to start their own business. Svend, a man who never felt loved, is obsessed with his green-themed shop, while Bjarne is a marijuana-smoking loner who collects animal skeletons. Their venture begins inauspiciously until a series of morbid accidents provides them with an unconventional inventory.
The plot takes a macabre turn when Svend accidentally locks an electrician in their meat freezer. After selling the man’s leg to their former employer, Holger, the meat becomes an instant hit. Svend dubs the product his "chicky-wickies," and soon a line of patrons stretches outside the shop. The film balances this gruesome premise with the reappearance of Bjarne’s intellectually disabled twin brother, Eigil, who was institutionalized after causing a car accident that killed their parents and Bjarne’s wife.
Beyond the cannibalistic satire, the film examines the nature of success and human connection. Bjarne eventually realizes that the customers’ fervor was driven by Svend’s special marinade rather than the source of the meat itself. The film, which won the 2003 Méliès d'Or, features a nuanced performance by Mads Mikkelsen and highlights the absurdity of characters like Reverend Villumsen, who survived a plane crash by eating his own wife. It remains a cult exploration of the lengths people go to when they feel invisible.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Green Butchers
- Also: Wikidata — The Green Butchers · CC0
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