I have always considered the Scandinavian societies as free and tolerant. I still do. But once in a while there is a film that causes a scar on this image. In 2016 it was the film "Sami blood" (Armanda Kernell). With respect to violating the rights of native people you think of America (Indians) or Australia (Aboriginals) but not of Scandinavia (Sami). Nevertheless Sami people where discriminated against until the 30's of the last century.
The film "Unruly" caused a new scar. The film is about the way an independent and (admittedly) somewhat wild girl is treated in Denmark in the 30's of the last century. The film is situated in an institution that existed from 1923 - 1961. It is based on real laws about forced sterilization.
Forced sterilization, that sounds pretty much like a Nazi practice. As if this isn't enough in itself the film adds elements that make it even worse, a lot of elements.
The forced sterilization is motivated by the so-called feeble-mindedness of the victims. In reality a sexually liberated girl is wrongly diagnosed as feeble minded.
There is a double standard in the sense that being sexually liberated is only seen as harmfull for girls. In the film the main character (Maren played by Emilie Kroyer Koppel) has a one night stand with a married handyman when she already is in the mental institution. It is of course Maren who has to be sterilzed, not the man who has to be castrated.
The management of the institution that suppresses the girls is formed by women. On top of that these women (guardians of the sexual morality of that day) do not adhere to this morality themselves. They are only better in keeping there love life secret.
The main theme of the film is clearly the supression of women, but the film also has a thing or two to say about psychiatic institutions. In this respect it can be compared to "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" (1975, Milos Forman). As already said the diagnosis that lies beneath the intake in the institution is unclear and the criteria for dismissal are equally unclear. As a result the girls are hospitalized for years and the question if the doctors are there for the patients or the other way round comes to mind. With respect to head nurse Nielsen (Lene Maria Christensen) you doubt wether her bevahiour is driven by care for the girls or plain hunger for power in the same way as by the nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) character in "One flew over the cuckoo's nest".
One minor defect of the movie in my opinion is that it takes itself very seriously. Within all the drama there is practically no comic relief moment. Partly this is due to the script. Was it really necessary to add the hypocricy of the managhement element? Partly this is due to the lead actress. Emilie Kroyer Koppel does a fine job, she is however not Jack Nicholson.
