The Girl with the Needle review: Magnus von Horn stitches a dark fairy-tale drawing from a real-life crime

In a heart-wrenching scene, Karoline is asked to remove her underwear so that a doctor, following the order of Jørgen’s mother, can check if she is really pregnant. Even though she is wearing a borrowed stylish gown, her underwear is made of coarse material — revealing her lower economic status and adding to her humiliation.

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Karoline is the soul of this movie — infusing the grim narrative with her innocence and hope. Her character’s undying spirit and resilience make it possible for the makers to term the film “a dark fairy tale about one woman’s search for tenderness and morality in a cruel world”. Even as the narrative peels off the veneers and reveals the horrors in society, the blow is softened because the story unfolds from Karoline’s point of view.

When Karoline ends up unemployed and pregnant, she comes across Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who gives the assurance that she will find foster parents for the child after its birth. Later, Karoline leaves her compassionate husband, when he returns from the war deformed, even though he wishes to bring up the child together after its birth. She hands her child to Dagmar, owner of a candy store who seems to run an underground adoption agency for unwanted babies at a time abortion was illegal in Denmark. Karoline finds shelter and a job at her Dagmar’s store, forming a bond with her and her young daughter Erena. The narrative takes a twisted and dark turn when Karoline discovers the horrific truth about Dagmar.

The superb portrayal of their characters by Carmen Sonne and Dyrholm facilitates a deep cinematic examination of motherhood and social conditions that were not favourable towards women and unwanted babies. That apart, what makes The Girl with the Needle a compelling watch is the gorgeous cinematography by Michał Dymek, and a spellbinding score by Frederikke Hoffmeier.

Ironically, even though The Girl with the Needle is set in Denmark over a century ago, the social realities reflected in the nightmarish story are not much different from the contemporary issues, especially with restrictions imposed on abortions, limiting a woman’s reproductive rights.

The Girl with the Needle movie director: Magnus von Horn
The Girl with the Needle movie cast: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Besir Zeciri, Joachim Fjelstrup, Tessa Hoder, Avo Knox Martin
The Girl with the Needle movie rating: 4 stars