‘The Girl with the Needle’ – A Powerful Haunting Tale

The Girl with the Needle

In the haunting landscape of post-war Copenhagen, where despair looms large and hope flickers dimly, The Girl with the Needle emerges as a poignant exploration of resilience and motherhood amidst the ravages of conflict. Co-written and directed by Magnus von Horn, this visually striking film takes audiences on a harrowing yet beautiful journey through the life of Karoline, a young seamstress grappling with her own tumultuous fate in the aftermath of World War I.

With its exquisite black and white cinematography and deeply resonant performances, particularly from Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dryholm, the film transcends mere tragedy to paint a narrative rich with complexity, empathy, and a glimmer of hope. As we delve into this review, we will uncover how von Horn masterfully intertwines the darkness of history with the light of human spirit, crafting a tale that leaves a lasting impact.

Karoline, a young factory worker, struggles to survive. When she becomes pregnant, she meets Dagmar, a charismatic woman who runs an underground adoption agency. Karoline accepts a role as a wet nurse alongside her.

Release date: 10 January 2025

Director: Magnus von Horn

Cinematography: Michal Dymek

Language: Danish

Producers: Mariusz Włodarski, Malene Blenkov

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Were The Girl with the Needle any less gorgeous, less poetically filmed or liltingly told, the misery of 1919 Copenhagen might be too grim to bear. But somehow co-writer/director Magnus von Horn’s hypnotic storytelling bathes the nightmare in beauty, compassion, even hope.

Vic Carmen Sonne’s vacant expression gives Karoline an inscrutable quality that suits the character of a young seamstress coming to terms with more and more dire circumstances as WWI ends. Pregnant when her husband, long presumed dead, returns from the war, she faces difficult choices.

Each choice—always a hopeful step toward the promise of something better—is punished in time. Between the grimness of the wartime sufferings, the unreadable expression of the protagonist, and Michal Dymek’s gorgeous black and white cinematography, The Girl with the Needle conjures Václav Marhoul’s 2019 ordeal, The Painted Bird. But von Horn’s story rings with authenticity, partly because he treats the suffering with some distance and restraint, and partly because the story itself is rooted in true events.

Which, of course, only makes the tale that much more difficult. Bravo to the filmmaker and actor Trine Dryholm for treating Dagmar—the woman who represents Karoline’s biggest leap toward something better—the way they do.

Dryholm’s beautifully tormented, conflicted performance never veers toward cliché, or even toward sinister. Though her acts are unthinkably villainous—the stuff of legend and nightmare—they are rooted in a logic that feels honest to the character.

The dual performances transform this true crime horror story into a fable of mothers and children, of collecting and discarding family, offering a profound exploration of familial bonds amid chaos. Sonne’s childlike trust in her surroundings contrasts sharply with Dryholm’s tortured caregiving, which reveals the complexities of love and sacrifice; this interplay further distorts an image von Horn’s been twisting since his remarkable opening shots, blurring the lines between protection and harm. As the narrative unfolds, the interactions between the characters deepen, exposing the raw emotions that define their relationships and challenging the viewer to confront uncomfortable truths about the nature of love and abandonment within familial dynamics.

Mercifully, he ends his film and its portrait of family on a hopeful note. You won’t find much other mercy here, but alongside these powerful performances and mesmerizing storytelling, just a glimmer is enough.