On the surface, this movie is exactly what the title says, you have an unhappily married queen who has an affair under the king's nose with someone in the King's court. However, the interesting aspect of this story is the context. It is the second half of the 18th century, liberal ideals of people like Rousseau and Voltaire spread across Europe, and threatens to break down the old Feudalistic regime.
The movie is not a documentary on the ruling of Christian the VII, and should not be regarded as such. After seeing it, I went to read about Christian the VII, and found that many details of the era and his regime were omitted in favor of not making a long tiresome movie. Instead the movie focuses on the relationships between the king, the queen and the physician and to their attempt to change the face of Denmark.
These three characters are played beautifully.
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as King Christian is just superb and fun to watch, as a mad king he is always there even when not the focus of the camera.
Mads Mikkelsen as the physician acts for the most part as a calm yet stern person, however, when he does display emotions it has greater impact, and in my view portraits inner-struggle more effectively.
Alicia Vikander as the queen plays her two role quite well, whether it is the passion and stress that go with having a secret affair, or the audacity and charm that goes with fulfilling her royal duties.
Finally, in my view, the movie is another bell ring to remind us that even Denmark, 300 years ago was a country consumed by religion and fear, and that there are always those who believe in such a way of life.
