Pigen med nålen

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!

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.

Yes, it is a little slow in its pace and one needs to get used to the rhythm of the film. That said, it is probably watched without any distractions in the cinema, not at home with a smartphone nearby.

The movie itself is a strong remnider of how rigid and cruel social norms and legislation can be. What I really liked was the ambivalence of the characters portrayed. The evil in the world didn't stem from some fetishised indidivual background, but from the power of capital - after all, it is the material inequality, displayed by the true villain of this movie, the mother of the rich fabric owner, which lays the ground for individuial cruel action. A more equal society would have not give birth to needs such as killing the offsprings of the poor and forgotten.

"Inspired by true events." Four words that will knock the wind out of your lungs as the film fades to black.

In the dirt and smog of 1919 Copenhagen emerges this atmospheric, haunting portrait of one woman's descent into the grim reality of impoverished motherhood.

In the age of short attention spans that are worringly shortening, von Horn's dark film may be a little slow for the average modern movie goer. But for those who can engage with it, what awaits is a black and white cinematic feast with imagery reminiscent of silent movies that is both a treat for the eyes and a dagger to the heart.

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.