Ivan's dad, a passionate fan of Tarzan, thinks that Ivan is hopeless and gives him the nickname "Rubber Tarzan". In school the stupid, big boys dip Ivan's trousers in water every single day. His mother is always far too preoccupied with housework to notice that Ivan is unhappy. But then he meets Ole - the eternal optimist. Ole is himself a bit of a Rubber Tarzan and becomes Ivan's good and faithful friend.
Tolerance and bullying
Rubber Tarzan has been called "the best children's film in the world". It has to be said that it is difficult to point to a Danish children's picture which has had greater significance for so many generations of cinemagoers and which to such a high degree created a school for the Danish children's movies of the 1980s and 1990s.
Rubber Tarzan is an edifying tale. It sides with the underdog, the little, weak people in society - without being awkward or moralising, but with humour and sympathetic insight. The film deals with bullying and tolerance, while administering at the same time severe criticism to self-centred parents who fail to look properly after their children.
Magic realism
With the filming of Ole Lund Kirkegaard's books - e.g. Otto is a Rhino (Otto er et naesehorn) and Rubber Tarzan - so-called magic realism made its entry into Danish film in the 1980s. The stories take place in everyday environments full of children, confusion and stupid parents. Every now and again something unusual, magical happens which gives reality a fairytale touch.
Soeren Kragh-Jacobsen has rearranged and revised Kirkegaard's original story to anchor it more firmly in the world of reality. But the magical realism remains intact and can be used in an exciting way to cast unexpected light on some of life's great questions.
Christian Monggaard is a film reviewer and critic for the paper Dagbladet Information.
Alex Svanbjerg as Rubber-Tarzan. Photo: John Johansen © Sandrew Metronome.