Synopsis
Magnus von Horn has created an intense and controversial film that is even more impactful as it is based on the real characters and events from a notorious 1921 Danish murder trial. This synopsis is longer than usual as the film might be a difficult watch for some – also see the Content Note below.
This is a bold and brilliant piece of cinema set in post-WW1 Copenhagen with a strong screenplay, superb period detail and cinematography, and outstanding performances by Vic Carmen Sonne (Godland) and the wonderful Trine Dyrholm (A Royal Affair, In a Better World). Both chilling and compelling in equal measure, but not sensationalised or gratuitous, it consciously portrays the dark side of humanity and the vulnerability of the powerless in society within the conventions of a psychological horror. At the start of the film, startling black-and-white images of blurred and distorted faces emerge on the screen against ominous strings, giving us an unnerving sense of what is to come. Von Horn, has staged his period drama using stark shadows and claustrophobic framing to create a sense of dread. The monochromatic gothic style, reminiscent of German Expressionism, notably Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ (1931), highlights the grinding poverty and moral corruption of the pitiless post-war world inhabited by the film's characters, particularly the women left abandoned and vulnerable.
From the start, Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) is challenged by her circumstances - her husband is presumed dead in the war. She is jobless, homeless, pregnant and exhausted; the only glimmer of hope that was held out to her has been stripped away. With no wish to condemn her miserable life on her child, Karoline attempts a termination at a local bathhouse. There she encounters Dagmar Overbye (Trine Dyrholm), a self-assured and seemingly friendly woman who runs an illegal adoption service under the facade of a local sweet shop. Dagmar offers Karoline work and the opportunity to find a wealthy, caring family for her child should she decide to go ahead with her pregnancy. This chance gives Karoline hope and a strong connection forms between the two women. Sadly, the better life brokered by Dagmar is not what poor Karoline hoped for, as her suspicions gradually become manifest and she recognises her own moral complicity.
Von Horn describes his film as a “dark fairytale” (not the sanitised versions we know today). Sonne is excellent as the strong-willed, yet naive and pitiable victim; crucially showing the calculating and opportunistic side of Karoline’s character. Von Horn characterises Dagmar as a symptom of a heartless environment rather than as inherently evil, and Trine Dyrholm, in an extremely challenging role, superbly conveys the trauma that Dagmar too has experienced.
Language: Danish with subtitles
Additional Info
Why Watch?
“This period piece offers a very different kind of female odyssey through a lonely and forbidding world. The result is harrowing but seriously impressive.” (Time Out)
“Reminiscent of the works of Robert Bresson, Ingmar Bergman, and Carl Theodor Dreyer – with the social realism of Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell; The Girl with the Needle is stunning, bleak, heart-breaking, and strange.” (Alliance of Women Film Journalists)
Director’s comments - Magnus von Horn
Magnus von Horn discusses his gritty film, nominated for the Best International Film Oscar. Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb 2025
“I think the strongest thing for the audience is what we don’t see. It’s like what Hitchcock said, our imagination will always be stronger than anything we can ever show.”
On the film’s final chapter: “It’s a way to take all this dark energy in this film and spin it into something hopeful. I want to believe that about the world.”
Content Note (Advisory)
This stark Danish-language drama portrays horrifying events following a young woman’s involvement in an illegal adoption agency. With its disturbing subject matter and undercurrent of violence, this film is not for everyone.
Go to the British Board of Film Classification website: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-girl-with-the-needle-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi1mdc1
The Content Advice may contain spoilers.
Location
Cheltenham Film Society, Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Rd, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP
