FNC 2024: The Girl with the Needle Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s edition of Montreal’s ‘Festival du Nouveau Cinéma,’ to keep up with our latest coverage, click here

Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle brilliantly showcases a disturbing and haunting story inspired by true events through the lens of a black-and-white expression on post-WWI Denmark. Focusing on the marginalized and vulnerable citizens of a suffering aspect of Copenhagen’s past, the film introduces us to Karoline (Sonne) as she struggles to make ends meet, facing eviction, and no news on whether her husband survived the war.

From there, Karoline quickly develops a love affair with her employer, Jørgen (Joachim Fjelstrup) which turns complicated as her unexpected pregnancy collides with the surprise return of her husband, Peter (Besir Zeciri). Returning facially disfigured, Peter as a character is particularly intriguing, as Von Horn’s loose inspiration from The Elephant Man does not stop Zeciri from portraying an eerily calm and supportive presence to Karoline’s difficult decisions regarding whether to keep the baby. It is through Peter that we see Von Horn’s mix of monochromatic imaging, dark lighting, Michał Dymek’s guiding cinematography, and Frederikke Hoffmeier’s chilling score to show his PTSD, the isolation from society, and the abandonment by his wife. Facing complete rejection from Jørgen is where Sonne balances every emotion gracefully through Karoline’s perseverance, grief, and helplessness of others.

Von Horn is brilliantly manipulative at using his aforementioned filmmaking tools to mask a rebuild of Karoline’s livelihood through her purpose in being a wet nurse for Dagmar Overbye (Dyrholm), who helps in providing care for new mothers who wish to give up their baby to another family. Those unaware of the true events that inspired this story will fall right into the same cozy trap as Karoline and get hit with a shock wave that cements the dire and haunting world that von Horn brings to life. Others who are conscious of the horror that haunted Denmark’s history in the 1910s will realize his intention to make audiences sympathize with a definitively irredeemable human being. Dymek’s cinematography and Hoffmeier’s score enable the illusion of a hopeful journey through this poverty-stricken, post-war era of Copenhagen that aims to distract us from the true horrors lying behind.

In the end, The Girl with the Needle is a well-crafted, nightmarish tale that incorporates a suffering era of Denmark’s past to set the stage for a story inspired by true events that is sure to leave audiences churning in their seats. Von Horn’s use of monochromatic imaging, lighting, cinematography, and score intensify this evocative journey through Karoline’s tenacity to escape the horrible predicaments she is put through. It is strongly recommended to go into this film blind to the terrifying true story, however be prepared for the worst that humanity has to offer in society. For those particularly curious about the subject matter before committing to the film, simply search for Dagmar Overbye. The results will be more than enough to disturb anyone.

still courtesy of Mubi

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Costa Christoulas

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