The Girl with the Needle explained

The Girl with the Needle
Native Name:
Director:Magnus von Horn
Cinematography:Michał Dymek
Editing:Agnieszka Glinska
Music:Frederikke Hoffmeier
Runtime:115 minutes
Country:
  • Denmark
  • Poland
  • Sweden
Language:Danish

The Girl with the Needle is a 2024 crime drama 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.

Plot

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.

Cast

Production

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."[3] 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.

Release

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.[4] It will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[5]

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.[6] [7]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 87% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 9 critic reviews indicating "universal acclaim".[9]

The reviews from Cannes described the film as "grippingly acted";[10] a "sombre, commercially uncompromising work";[11] and a "poetic and dark fairy tale."[12]

Accolades

Notes and References

  1. Pham. Annika. 18 January 2024. The Match Factory Snaps Up 'Sweat' Director Magnus von Horn's First Genre Pic, 'The Girl With the Needle' (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. 11 April 2024. 1 March 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240301142417/https://variety.com/2024/film/global/the-match-factory-magnus-von-horn-1235875447/. live.
  2. Web site: Vidste du… at denne kvinde er danmarkshistoriens største seriemorder?. Lerche Kristiansen. Annegerd. 15 October 2017. DR. da. 11 April 2024. 26 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230526094755/https://www.dr.dk/historie/danmarkshistorien/vidste-du-denne-kvinde-er-danmarkshistoriens-stoerste-seriemorder. live.
  3. Vourlias. Christopher. 10 May 2024. Magnus von Horn's Cannes Contender 'The Girl With the Needle' Unveils First Clip (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. 12 May 2024.
  4. Web site: The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. 8 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240508200110/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2024/the-screenings-guide-of-the-77th-festival-de-cannes/. live.
  5. Web site: Emilia Pérez . . August 19, 2024.
  6. Web site: The Match Factory pins its hopes on four competition titles at Cannes. Abbatescianni. Davide. 10 May 2024. Cineuropa. 13 May 2024.
  7. Web site: Mubi Acquires Magnus von Horn’s Chilling Cannes Competition Entry 'The Girl With the Needle'. Variety. Elsa. Keslassy. Alex. Ritman. 18 May 2024. 19 May 2024.
  8. The Girl with the Needle. m. the_girl_with_the_needle. 31 May 2024.
  9. the-girl-with-the-needle. movie. The Girl with the Needle. 31 May 2024.
  10. News: Bradshaw . Peter . 16 May 2024 . The Girl With the Needle review – horrific drama based on Denmark's 1921 baby-killer case . 16 May 2024 . . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  11. Web site: Lodge . Guy . 15 May 2024 . 'The Girl With the Needle' Review: Magnus von Horn's Expressionistic Nightmare of Women Abandoned by Society . 16 May 2024 . . en-US.
  12. Web site: Utichi . Joe . 15 May 2024 . 'The Girl With The Needle' Review: Magnus Von Horn's Dark Fairytale Retelling Of Denmark's Most Infamous Serial Murder Case Is Beguiling – Cannes Film Festival . 16 May 2024 . . en-US.
  13. Web site: Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List. Ntim. Zac. 11 April 2024. Deadline. 9 May 2024. 10 May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240510021739/https://deadline.com/2024/04/cannes-film-festival-lineup-2024-live-francis-ford-coppola-thierry-fremaux-1235881376/. live.

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