| The Girl with the Needle | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Magnus von Horn |
| Cinematography: | Michał Dymek |
| Editing: | Agnieszka Glinska |
| Music: | Frederikke Hoffmeier |
| Runtime: | 115 minutes |
| Country: |
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| Language: | Danish |
The Girl with the Needle is a 2024 historical psychological horror film directed by Magnus von Horn, from a screenplay written by von Horn and Line Langebek. It is very loosely based on the true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, who helped impoverished women kill their unwanted children and was first sentenced to death in 1921, but it was later changed into a lifetime in prison.[1] [2]
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 15 May 2024. The film was chosen as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[3] [4]
In Copenhagen, young pregnant Karoline takes on a position as a wet nurse for an older woman named Dagmar to help support herself. Dagmar operates a clandestine adoption agency under the guise of a candy shop, assisting disadvantaged mothers place their unwanted newborns in foster homes. Karoline grows close to Dagmar, but she is soon faced with the nightmarish reality she unwittingly entered.
The Girl with the Needle is Magnus von Horn's third feature, after The Here After (2015) and Sweat (2020). He described it as a "fairy tale for grownups" and was motivated "not to just make a straight genre piece [but] to flirt with genre. That became a great lens to look at the story, for me and the cinematographer and the set designers and the costumes."[5] The film was produced by Malene Blenkov for Nordisk Film Denmark and Mariusz Wlodarski for Lava Films (Poland), in co-production with Nordisk Film Sweden.
The Girl with the Needle was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 15 May 2024.[6] It made its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[7] The film has also been selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where it will be screened under the World Cinema section.[8]
International sales were handled by The Match Factory, whose parent Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey and India a few days after its premiere.[9] [10] The film is set to premiere in New York and Los Angeles on 6 December 2024. Gutek Film is set to distribute the film in Poland on 17 January 2025, under the title Dziewczyna z igłą.[11] Nordisk Film Distribution is set to release the film in Denmark on 23 January 2025.
The reviews from Cannes described the film as "grippingly acted";[12] a "sombre, commercially uncompromising work";[13] and a "poetic and dark fairy tale."[14]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Palme d'Or | Magnus von Horn | [15] | |
| Camerimage | 23 November 2024 | Golden Frog | Michał Dymek | [16] [17] | |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European Actress | Trine Dyrholm | [18] [19] | |
| Vic Carmen Sonne | |||||
| European Screenwriter | Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek | ||||
| European Production Design | Jagna Dobesz | [20] [21] | |||
| European Original Score | Frederikke Hoffmeier | ||||
| Gdynia Film Festival | 27 September 2024 | Polish Film Abroad Festivals And Reviews Award | Magnus von Horn | [22] | |
| Young Jury Award | |||||
| Arthouse Cinemas Network Award | |||||
| Journalists Award | |||||
| Best Casting Award | Tanja Grunwald | ||||
| 28 September 2024 | Silver Lions | The Girl with the Needle | [23] | ||
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Trine Dyrholm | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Michał Dymek | ||||
| Best Music | Frederikke Hoffmeier | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Jagna Dobesz | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Małgorzata Fudala | ||||