Copenhagen 1919: A young worker finds herself unemployed and pregnant. She meets Dagmar, who runs an underground adoption agency. A strong connection grows but her world shatters when she stumbles on the shocking truth behind her work.

Denmark’s contender (and now nominee) for ‘Best International Feature’ at this year’s Oscars is ‘The Girl with the Needle’, a relentlessly grim drama about a poor seamstress in the aftermath of the First World War. It is loosely based on the horrific true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, who our central character Karoline comes across as she looks for ways to make a living. Shot in black and white, ‘The Girl with the Needle’ is a sombre, well-acted drama that packs a punch, but I’d go in prepared for some challenging material.

We are introduced to Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) as she is evicted from her apartment after she falls behind on rent, largely as her husband Peter has gone missing since leaving to fight in the war, leaving her unable to make enough money as a seamstress to pay her landlord. Moving into a horrible apartment, she seeks out ways to get out of poverty, firstly by starting a relationship with Jørgen (Joachim Fjelstrup), her boss at the factory where she works, which is ended when his wealthy mother finds out. Pregnant at the time, she tries to crudely abort the baby (in one of many scenes that are difficult to watch), which brings her into contact with Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), a woman who owns a sweet shop while on the side running a secretive operation to supposedly help poor mothers put their babies up for adoption. Karoline sees a way to make a living as a wet nurse, however when it comes to light what Dagmar has really been up to, she starts to question her complicity.

I thought ‘The Girl with the Needle’ was an excellent and powerful drama that accurately portrays the challenges of living during this time period, and the lengths some people would go to make a living. The black and white cinematography is a good choice and emphasises the grimness of living in this era and is a suitable approach for what is some incredibly dark subject matter. Vic Carmen Sonne is compelling in the leading role, with Trine Dyrholm frightening and calculated as the main support, and this is a very good movie, although as previously stated, be prepared for what you might see.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Magnus von Horn

Starring: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Besir Zeciri, Joachim Fjelstrup, Tessa Hoder, Avo Knox Martin, Anders Hove and Ari Alexander

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt10236164/