Pigen med nålen

When rating watched movies, i always feel like there's something could be done differently or better, so even for "very good" movies i give 9 star.

This is my first 10 star rating. It's a perfect movie.

It's quite difficult to describe it as the whole movie has so many layers. It was emotionally on the edge and nervewrecking, very painful to watch. Even when you start to see the faint ray of hope, it soon vanishes brutally. But that's how the life was after the WW1. Povetry and broken people.

It was also visually gorgeous, eventhough there's nothing gorgeous in that movie.

Highly recommended, but not for snowflakes.

Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards, The Girl with the Needle is a silently unnerving & deeply unsettling psychological horror that takes elements from real-life events for its fictional narrative and expertly utilises its grim setting, bleak tone & harrowing revelations to deliver a shockingly brutal chiller that packs a powerful punch.

Co-written & directed by Magnus von Horn, the film exhibits a cold, dark & uninviting look from its opening scene and takes its time to set things up. The period details are aptly taken care of and it does well to capture the post-war atmosphere too. The black n white cinematography is sharp, crisp & sumptuous, Editing steadily paces the plot, and the disturbing bits leave a mark.

However, it's the performances that anchor this narrative and the actors responsibly play their roles. Vic Carmen Sonne leads with a gripping showcase in the eponymous role that keeps the viewers invested in the proceedings while Trine Dyrholm's character is effortlessly charming at first until the sinister truth about her is unveiled. The rest provide solid support but these ladies are the standouts.

Overall, The Girl with the Needle is skilfully directed, exquisitely photographed & strongly acted from start to finish but the quiet pace at which it all unfolds can be bothersome for a select few. While there are sequences that don't add much to the central plot, they still portray the horrors left by war in its wake. Definitely amongst the better films of 2024, this Danish production is not for the easily distressed.

Magnus Von Horn's powerful film inspired by true events, beautifully composed in black and white. This Danish-Polish-Swedish co-produced film demonstrate aesthetics definitely from couple of possibly sources from German expressionist to film noir genres.

The story surrounds a young woman, Karoline (played by Victoria Carmen Sonne) who begins a new life in the city, coming from the surges of the World War era or "Great War". Her husband was considered a war casualty thus begins a new romance leading to a unexpected pregnancy.

Not winning approval of the relationship with her wealthy lover's family, she in unknown depression figures to do away with the unborn. She befriends Dagmar (played by Trine Dryholm) and her daughter Erena, decides to continue to birthing a child for "adoption" option.

This storyline with plot twists and tropes goes into complete darkness with murders, drug addition and human trafficking. It was inspired by 1921 serial killer, Dagmar Over by who murdered numerous infants. This film show try show, in some troublesome way in humanizing these crimes, letting the viewer debate on the killer's motivation.

Brilliantly directed with top-tier performances by both Von Somme and Dryholm along with exceptional soundtrack, to create emotional and anticipation tension. It's monochromatic visual are such sights to view the gritty aspects of urban 1920s life, some much dramatic.

Its visceral richness, presents an insight even to subcultures developing at the time from circuses and their side show, showing the "freaks" of nature. It challenges the intimacy of motherhood, somehow showing it underbelly of darkness.

Van Horn's handling of actual event information into a fictional account is truly astonishing, great detail paid to the era's tradition and domestic customs. This film is being marketed as a psychological horror film but it's more of an emotional portrait of human conflict, sparked by a gender political discourse.

This movie has some of the scariest scenes I've seen in any film this year, even compared to the best horror movies of 2024. The first act feels like a darker, more chilling version of Anora. It starts with themes of survival and desperation, as a working-class woman in post-WWI Copenhagen finds an opportunity to change her social class. But the story evolves into something much deeper, diving into ethical dilemmas around motherhood, sacrifice, and the difficult choices women face when their options are limited.

And yet, there's even more to unpack in this stunningly shot, expertly crafted period drama. It's about moral ambiguity, isolation, loneliness, societal stigmas, female agency, power dynamics, and the lingering impact of war. The only thing holding it back for me is how heavy-handed it gets with the subject of abortion, especially in the final speech, which felt a bit out of place.

It hit me hard with bricks of sadness and empathy for the main character, thanks to Vic Carmen Sonne's incredible performance as the lead. Every other actor is equally impressive. The black-and-white cinematography is breathtaking, the music is hypnotic, and the overall production is top-notch. With all its dark and heavy themes, this movie is an absolute blast to watch. Highly recommended!

Swedish director Magnus von Horn demonstrates his mastery when it comes to creating a disturbing and controversial film that is even more impactful because it is based on real events.

It's engaging, but it will also turn off quite a few.

With its more than deserved nomination for best international film, this Danish film that takes us to post-war Denmark hides a disturbing story accompanied by a direction without caution by Magnus von Horn , who in each shot, in each frame and in each decision takes us towards a sinister door from which it is difficult to recover once we understand the whole path hidden in this wonderful script. With a black and white staging that accentuates much more the dark side of a humanity that does not know of time, but of evil, which is magnified by some secondary characters that surround our protagonist in the most bizarre and distressing that one can appreciate.

It's a movie that, if you accept the challenge, will grab you and make you live a corrupted experience with a brutal story that leaves nothing to be desired but to question how timeless a story like this can be, but if you're not willing to take on that challenge, it's a movie that will make you have a bad time every time.

A protagonist who provides a light.

Victoria Carmen Sonne's performance is the key to keeping us determined to follow this story. The actress takes all the recognition in her interpretation of a character who has suffered, beaten down and forgotten in every sense. A character that captivates you and despite all the evil that surrounds her, it is a sigh of light that the Danish actress delivers on screen. We can also add a supporting character like Trine Dyrholm who also steals all her moments with a sinister character who really manages to cause fear between the bizarreness of her behavior and her madness.

Mature cinema.

A mature film that is not afraid to be controversial in form and content and that, with a direction that follows the same path, leaves the feeling that it is a film that has a lot to tell and a lot to exploit in terms of its reception by the viewer. Its director consolidates himself as a director of weight and daring, which makes it more interesting than it already was.

Conclusion.

One of the best international films of the year, without a doubt, Danish cinema once again demonstrates the narrative strength it has and a director who once again positions his name as one to always follow. A sinister proposal that leaves you disturbed when you discover its twists and its real intentions, a film for the brave.