The Girl with the Needle (2024)
Director: Magnus von Horn
Written by: Magnus von Horn, Line Langebek
Starring: Victoria "Vic" Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm
Country: Denmark



Synopsis: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. Mubi Summary:An Oscar®-nominated marvel of exquisite empathy, Magnus von Horn’s masterful vision of early 20th-century Denmark searches for tenderness and morality under fraught circumstances. Drawing on chilling true events that continue to resonate, this gothic parable is a visceral reckoning from the past.

93% at Rotten Tomatoes

Nominated for Best International Film at the 97th Academy Awards

It's possible I'm the only member here who has seen this one so far. It's on Mubi, and I'm trying to wrap-up seeing every film up for an Academy Award (7 to go).

This is a powerful, well-done film. The acting, visuals, and overall tone are powerful, the subject matter is trying, and the way the story unfolds is haunting. This could be called nouveau gothic horror, I think.

I'll give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, but I'm not sure I need to see it again. Of what I've seen of the nominees so far, I'm still glad I'm Still Here won Beat International Film.

Proceed with this spoiler at your own risk, but this film is all the more haunting and shocking when you read the words on the screen at the very end:

No, I saw it too. Brilliant and (as you said) haunting film. That scene where Karoline follows Dagmar with the baby only to find out what she really does with them, is one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen. 9/10 rating.

This was one of the best movies I saw last year. The trailer led me to believe it was going to be surreal and fairy tale like, so it was almost like going in to see it blind. The story is so chilling, and the quiet, realistic tone only intensified those elements, more than a cinematic style would have. I was also in awe of how gorgeous the photography was, not just the visuals but the clarity and depth of detail. I was fortunate to see this on the big screen. I'd highly recommend the movie, only I can't think of a single person I know who would want to see this.