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.
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Reviews
SonOfUniverse
8
By SonOfUniverse
I really enjoyed this movie. It was dark, chilling, unsettling and very real. The cinematography took me away. It immersed me so much from picture to picture. Yes, this movie is grotesque and pushes a boundary. But the storytelling is quite fascinating, I love how they created something equally unsettling as it is masterful. Thanks a lot!
badelf
7
By badelf
The Girl with the Needle: Technical Brilliance, Narrative Limitations
Magnus Van Horn's "The Girl with the Needle" is a masterclass in period production design and atmospheric storytelling, yet ultimately falls short of its narrative potential.
Set in the bleak landscape of post-World War I Denmark, the film is visually extraordinary. The cinematography and production design meticulously reconstruct a world ravaged by war and social upheaval. Every frame feels authentically gothic - a world of shadows, desperation, and moral ambiguity.
Frederikke Hoffmeier's soundtrack is a haunting character in its own right, amplifying the film's psychological tension. The gothic elements - particularly the morphing faces - are initially striking, though Van Horn's repeated use becomes more stylistic excess than meaningful technique.
The film's technical achievements, however, cannot fully compensate for its narrative shortcomings. Dagmar's courtroom scene, despite strong performance, reveals a script that fails to fully explore the complex moral landscape it attempts to navigate.
"The Girl with the Needle" emerges as a technically stunning work that ultimately feels more like an exercise in style than a profound exploration of its thematic potential.
