Ape (2012)

This year I’m switching things up a little bit. For 2024, I will be posting the weekly reviews on Monday for Mubi Monday! I also aim to give you at least two additional reviews each month that come from top lists over on Letterboxd. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s Monday, so let’s dive into this week’s Mubi Monday watch of…Ape (2012).

Title: Ape

Director: Joel Potrykus

Released: August 8th, 2012 (Locarno Film Festival)

Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

Available to stream on: Mubi and Kanopy

Trevor Newandyke (Joshua Burge) is having a rough go of things both professionally and personally. He spends time running through new potential jokes in front of his mirror in his apartment. Despite the practice, he is struggling to find his footing as a comedian and frequently bombs when he goes up on stage. As a result of his frequent bombings in the comedy club, he is struggling just to get by in his personal life.

Luckily for Trevor, the soothing flames of fire are there to comfort him as he has found an escape from reality through playing with fire. Yes, Trevor is a pyromaniac. Whether it is playing with flash paper, powdered coffee creamer, or even starting a dumpster fire, all of his issues take a momentary back seat when he is able to play with fire.

One day, while on the bus, Trevor notices the Devil standing at a roadside stand with a table full of vegetables and a sign offering fruit for sale. His curiosity gets the best of him, and Trevor gets off the bus and heads over to the stand. After some back and forth, the Devil and Trevor agree to a deal. Trevor will receive a golden apple in exchange for an original joke.

How will Trevor’s life play out now that he’s made a deal with the Devil?

When trying to find something to watch for this week, I scrolled through Mubi and randomly stopped on Ape (2012). I knew nothing about it, but the thumbnail grabbed my attention. It is always a gamble when deciding to watch something based solely on the thumbnail. However, I am happy to say that this was one such occasion where the risk paid off.

The performance from Joshua Burge really elevates Ape (2012) as a whole. Trevor is an easy character to dislike. In fact, we aren’t given many reasons to find ourselves rooting for him. But there’s something about Burge’s performance that had me in Trevor’s corner. He marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn’t believe in doing something just because someone tells him that’s the way it’s done. I think we all can relate to that and/or strive for that in some form or another.

If dark humor is your cup of tea, you’ll be in for a treat. Whether intentional or not, there is quite a bit of humor packed into the brisk eighty-six-minute runtime. I also found myself a fan of the no frills approach that Joel Potrykus took when writing and directing. The ending he delivers was also a pleasant surprise. By the time the credits roll, you find yourself rooting for Trevor and his new approach to life.

If you’ve seen Ape (2012), what did you think of it? Let me hear your thoughts on it in the comments below or on social media!

If you haven’t seen it, here is a month of Mubi for free! Check out Ape (2012) and follow along in all of the Mubi Monday watches this year.

As always, you can keep up on everything else I’m watching over on my Letterboxd account.