The Girl with the Needle is one of the films that premiered at Cannes with decent buzz but couldn't quite break out and make a name for itself. So overall I had heard good things, but not necessarily enough to have me dying to see it. The look of it intrigued me though, and it happened to work out for me to see it Thursday night and I'm glad I did as it ended up being one of my favourites of the festival.
The Girl with the Needle is set in Denmark after World War One. It follows a factory worker named Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) who is struggling to make ends meet when she finds herself pregnant. The father wants nothing to do with her so she attempts to abort the baby at the local baths, only to have a woman named Dagmar tell her to have the baby and then bring it to her. Dagmar runs an illegal adoption agency, which Karoline eventually aids her with, only to uncover an unsettling truth to it all.
While this film wowed me I can't say it's a fun watch by any means. I won't spoil the turns this takes but it is a very bleak movie, offering some shimmers of hope but mostly plunging into some upsetting topics. Being a period piece I didn't know how much the story would actually work for me, but I found myself constantly hooked and I'm not even 100% sure why. This is a true story I knew nothing about, and I'd highly recommend going in mostly blind as the story unravels in very unexpected ways.
Vic Carmen Sonne is incredible, offering one of the best performances I've seen at the festival. Her character is heartbreaking to follow, stuck in a seemingly endless run of misfortune that seems to just keep breaking her down. Upon meeting Dagmar, Karoline becomes far more hopeful, allowing Sonne to add a new layer to what was just a sad performance. She carries a tough movie incredibly well and I truly loved her work here. I was also really wowed by Trine Dryholm as Dagmar. She has a maternal nature to her character that just feels safe, and the sense of comfort she emits works brilliantly in contrast to how the story develops. She has such a rich charm with her that it's pretty much impossible to not trust her, thanks largely to Dryholm's performance.
This is the first film I've seen from director Magnus von Horn, but I am eager to see more. There are some really weird stylistic choices that bookend the film that I kind of loved, setting an eerie tone right off the bat. I'm a sucker for black and white cinematography, and this is shot incredibly well, with the lack of colour adding to the bleak feel of it while also looking stunning. I also loved the score, it feels modern compared to everything else but that causes a bit of a distorted feeling that again aids the discomforting story and tone.
This was a big surprise for me, I had heard great things but this is one of the best things I saw at TIFF. 4/5
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