The Substitute

And now for something completely different: It starts all with a chicken and ends with a kiss. In-between we see a cute as hell lead actor, well dressed kids and, well, aliens. Coming of age film for kids? Yes! Unusual horror comedy for adults? Hell yes!

Rated R in the US – The kids dared to say ”Fuck”… We will all die, etc.

Once upon a time, there was a blue planet by the name of Earth. On this planet, some six billion people lived together for better or worse, in war and in love. But there was also life on another planet. The creatures there were not as diverse, for they only knew war, not love. So mankind had something they really wanted…yet as with all good stories, a lot can go wrong…

 
Released in its home country of Denmark as Vikaren, The Substitute takes the old aliens coming to take over the world concept and condenses it into a very small, intimate story. Though far more sci-fi than it is horror, this is what I like to refer to as a “gateway” film — a movie kids will watch that’ll give them a taste of horror, hopefully whetting their appetites for the harder stuff down the road.

When the students of class 6B are told they’ll be getting a new substitute for a short time, visions of goofing off and disobeying left and right cause them to jump for joy. When the sub shows up, however, they take a decidedly different viewpoint. She’s mean, harsh, and has no qualms telling the children how stupid they are. One of the students, Carl, even gets a very real example of the fact that she can read minds, which sets him down a path to figure out just what the hell she really is. What we know and Carl soon finds out is that she’s an alien, sent to Earth from her home planet to try and figure out what love is in order to bring the information back to her race so they can stop killing one another. There’s a very strong, sometimes overstated, theme of mankind being the only species (in this case in the entire universe) with the capacity to love, to feel empathy or compassion.

Don’t go into The Substitute expecting any kind of slimy alien horror story; in fact the moments of actual horror take up maybe a minute or two of the film’s entire runtime, and even that is pushing it. What makes the tale scary is imagining being in these kids’ shoes when all this is happening, which is yet another reason why a strong cast was so important. But what really helps make The Substitute work is its sense of humor. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments that help to both humanize the characters even more and break up some tension that may be building.

Director Ole Bornedal calls young lead actor Jonas Wandschneider "poetic, beautiful and clever," three words that perfectly describe The Substitute. Equal parts sci-fi, fantasy, adventure and lighthearted thriller, this Danish effort is invigorated with deliciously dark humor that’s brought to life by an amazing cast. Add arresting cinematography and production design, and this is a true joy to experience. Cynical and cheerful at the same time, it’s a movie with a message about isolation, loneliness and sorrow — and the battle to break free.

Neulich auf einem nachbarplaneten: krieg und gegenseitiges Auffressen sind an der Tagesordnung. Als die Bewohner von der stärksten Macht im universum erfahren, werden sie auf die Erde aufmerksam, denn hier besitzt die Bevölkerung diese Macht. Es ist… die Liebe. Also entsnden die Außerirdischen Ulla Harms, ein Irrlicht in einer silbernen Kugel. Als diese in die Frau eines Hühnerbauern eindringt und wenig später dier Klassenvertretung der 6b übernimmt – aus welchen gründen auch immer – nimmt das Unheil seinen Lauf: Die neue Paukerin hetzt über die vorstehenden Zähne ihrer Schüler, macht Witze über die frisch verstorbene Mutter eines Jungen, liest Gedanken und posaunt die intimsten Geheimnisse der Pubertierenden vor versammelter Mannschaft aus. Gefühlosigkeit und seltsame Härte verwirren die Kinder. Also machen sich die Schüler auf, herauszufinden, was mit der scheinbar Geistesgestörten los ist…