The Girl with the Needle

12/23/2024

Having been trained as a journalist, I’m generally not one to back away from an unsettling story, whether told through reporting or on the silver screen. However, there are times when I have to question the wisdom of whether certain films should be made in the first place. Just because it can be done, in my estimation, does not necessarily mean that it should be done. Such is the case with writer-director Magnus von Horn’s third feature outing, a dark, fact-based story that’s innately disturbing and, frankly, pushes the boundaries of good taste. The film, set in Copenhagen as World War I comes to an end, follows the life of Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne), a factory seamstress whose husband, Peter (Besir Zeciri), was believed killed during the conflict. In his absence, she becomes romantically

1/27/2025

I really enjoyed this movie. It was dark, chilling, unsettling and very real. The cinematography took me away. It immersed me so much from picture to picture. Yes, this movie is grotesque and pushes a boundary. But the storytelling is quite fascinating, I love how they created something equally unsettling as it is masterful. Thanks a lot!

2/14/2025

The Girl with the Needle: Technical Brilliance, Narrative Limitations Magnus Van Horn's "The Girl with the Needle" is a masterclass in period production design and atmospheric storytelling, yet ultimately falls short of its narrative potential. Set in the bleak landscape of post-World War I Denmark, the film is visually extraordinary. The cinematography and production design meticulously reconstruct a world ravaged by war and social upheaval. Every frame feels authentically gothic - a world of shadows, desperation, and moral ambiguity. Frederikke Hoffmeier's soundtrack is a haunting character in its own right, amplifying the film's psychological tension. The gothic elements - particularly the morphing faces - are initially striking, though Van Horn's repeated use becomes more styl

4/17/2025

Just after the end of the Great War, the young and expecting “Karoline” (Vic Carmen Sonne) finds herself alone and with little prospects after confusion around whether her soldier husband is alive or dead reigns and she is swiftly shunned by the family of her lover, the father of her unborn child. Through the grapevine, she learns of “Dagmar” (Trine Dyrholm) who runs a popular sweet shop that doubles up as an adoption agency where people in her predicament may try to find suitable homes for their children. It’s not so much that “Karoline” wants to go down this path, but she is faced with a stark reality that perhaps only her new friend can alleviate. This isn’t just a transaction, though, and gradually the two women begin to bond - to the extent that soon she is also assisting with this il

4/22/2025

*“The Girl with the Needle is a subtly cruel piece of cinema, a film that toys with the viewer's emotions much like Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves. What makes this sadistic tension even more striking is the film's almost naïve sincerity — the kind of naked, unfiltered directorial intent you might associate with early Xavier Dolan. The photography and the soudtrack are stunning, with each frame carefully composed, offering moments of quiet beauty even as the story becomes increasingly suffocating.