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| Images Courtesy of Nordisk Film, Gutek Film |
There is perhaps no greater horror in human existence
than having no choice. No options. No hope. Such has been the
plight of women throughout history, the echoes of which are still terrifyingly
present today. While the world was beginning to heal in the aftermath of
Germany's surrender in the Great War, another, more insidious horror was
revealed in Copenhagen. Magnus von Horn's slow burn revelation, The
Girl with the Needle is a true crime dark fairy tale that explores the real
life child serial killer Dagmar Overbye via the lens of a desperate woman who
is catastrophically thrown into the deadly woman's orbit.
Karoline is an impoverished factory worker who loses everything when her
husband is killed in World War I, finding solace in the arms of her wealthy
employer which leads to an unexpected pregnancy. Following a
humiliating rejection, Karoline seeks a better life for her baby, via
Dagmar, a confectioner who runs an underground adoption program which is
anything but what it seems. von Horn co-wrote the script with Line Langebek.
One of the more interesting aspects is how the narrative is about Karoline and
not the killer. Almost all violence happens off screen, keeping the focus
on the principals, transforming what could have been a visceral horror
experience into an unnerving psychological nightmare.
Vic Carmen Sonne stars as Karoline, in what could possibly be the acting performance of the year. Her unending sorrow and pain are palpable, made all the more real by moments of false hope dappled throughout, like sunshine piercing darkness for precious seconds. This performance is housed in a living allegory for the systemic oppression of women, and Sonne is emblematic of this terrible truth. Trine Dyrholm is a chameleon. Her Dagmar is sweet and tough in equal amounts, "helping" whenever she can, but absolutely manipulating those around her with a cool, reptilian agenda. This is a perfect example of actresses giving everything they have to their craft and the yield is a wicked miracle.
Michel Dymek's black and white cinematography is some of the year's best. Invoking immediate comparisons to Tarr and German Expressionism, von Horn's Copenhagen feels like a place out of time, a dirty, endless limbo in which the souls of the poor are ferried from factory to tenement until their bones become dust. It is in the dark shadows, underneath the metal behemoths of industry where the demons live, and Dagmar's inner sanctum is truly hell on Earth, made real by Oskar Skriver's blood curdling sound design. There are several moments in which the endless cries of infants are juxtaposed with deafening silence that will worm their way into the viewer's soul forever, staining it with the depravity humanity is capable of.
Debuting in theaters this Friday, courtesy of MUBI, The Girl with the Needle is an unforgettable account of how evil can propagate anywhere, but more importantly how society's outright disdain for lower class women opened the door for unthinkable atrocities. Featuring two of the strongest performances of the year, pristine, nerve-wracking visuals, and the best sound design of the year, this is a nightmare that will not soon be forgotten.
--Kyle Jonathan