The Girl With The Needle: The Beauty of Misery
Struggling to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen, a newly unemployed and pregnant young woman is taken in by a charismatic elder to help run an underground adoption agency. The two form an unexpected bond, until a sudden discovery changes everything. 1
Best Foreign Language Film often provides the strongest pictures at the Academy Awards. Considering some of the dog shit nominated for Best Picture this year, I’m surprised they don’t do away with the concept and expanded the nominations for all their awards.
The Girl With The Needle holds up against the other nominations. It certainly would have a good chance at many of the other awards.
How this wasn’t nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars is beyond me.
Michał Dymek’s photography is breathtaking. I adore monochrome cinematography and his work on this picture is one of the finest examples I’ve ever seen. Every frame is rendered in a gorgeous tones of gray, reminiscent of documentary reportage from the glory days of photojournalism. It complements a dark, gothic tone - undoubtedly inspired by Lynch and Fellini - perfectly.
It’s a mixed blessing; whilst I was marvelling at the stunning visuals I wasn’t taken with the first half of Girl With The Needle. It’s slow, though not to the point of boredom, taking time to build a bleak portrait of the time.
Vic Carmen Sonne carries this section on her back in a fantastically nuanced turn as Karoline. The way she shifts from survivor to seducer to sorry hero is enthralling.
These changing faces are reflected metaphorically by the needle. I can’t say much but pay attention to each depiction of one as the film progresses. It mirrors the words of famous blues musician Leadbelly as discussed in depth by David Mamet. 2
With the introduction of Trine Dyrholm’s character the film ramps up in quality. The interplay between the two leads is glorious; each finding unique ways to struggle through a dark, post-war society.
Girl With The Needle is a study in abject misery. There’s a brief respite at the very end but aside from that hope is nonexistent. Director Magnus Von Horn should be commended for his choice to tackle miserable subject matter but the lack of emotional release dampens the impact. Tension requires release in order for it to be most effective.
This oppressive atmosphere causes the story to suffer. We expect the worst, so when a crucial twist appears its power is diminished; not by much but enough to make it feel predictable.
Von Horn described the film as “a fairy tale for adults” and I couldn’t agree more. This falls into one of my favourite nano-genres I call ‘social horror’. For me, the mundane world is horrific enough without the addition of fantastic evil. True, they’re symbolic representations of human fears, but to see the depths of human depravity presented plainly is much more impactful.
The Girl With The Needle achieves this. The plot could be tighter - and arguably told from another character’s perspective - but in terms of tone this is a fantastic, magnificently shot film that wrestles with a disturbing subject in a canny, gothic fashion.
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