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The Girl with the Needle

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The Girl with the Needle
Festival poster
DanishPigen med nålen
Directed byMagnus von Horn
Written by
  • Magnus von Horn
  • Line Langebek
Produced by
  • Malene Blenkov
  • Mariusz Włodarski
Starring
CinematographyMichał Dymek
Edited byAgnieszka Glinska
Music byFrederikke Hoffmeier
Production
companies
  • Nordisk Film Denmark
  • Lava Films
  • Nordisk Film Sweden
  • Film i Väst
  • EC1 Łódź
  • Lower Silesia Film Centre
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 15 May 2024 (2024-05-15) (Cannes)
  • 17 January 2025 (2025-01-17) (Poland)
  • 23 January 2025 (2025-01-23) (Denmark)
Running time
115 minutes
Countries
  • Denmark
  • Poland
  • Sweden
LanguageDanish

The Girl with the Needle (Danish: Pigen med nålen) is a 2024 historical psychological horror film directed by Magnus von Horn, from a screenplay written by von Horn and Line Langebek. It is very loosely based on the true story of Danish serial killer Dagmar Overbye, who helped impoverished women kill their unwanted children and was first sentenced to death in 1921, but it was later changed into a lifetime in prison.[1][2]

The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 15 May 2024. The film was chosen as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[3][4]

Plot

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In Copenhagen, young pregnant Karoline takes on a position as a wet nurse for an older woman named Dagmar to help support herself. Dagmar operates a clandestine adoption agency under the guise of a candy shop, assisting disadvantaged mothers place their unwanted newborns in foster homes. Karoline grows close to Dagmar, but she is soon faced with the nightmarish reality she unwittingly entered.

Cast

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Production

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The Girl with the Needle is Magnus von Horn's third feature, after The Here After (2015) and Sweat (2020). He described it as a "fairy tale for grownups" and was motivated "not to just make a straight genre piece [but] to flirt with genre. That became a great lens to look at the story, for me and the cinematographer and the set designers and the costumes."[5] The film was produced by Malene Blenkov for Nordisk Film Denmark and Mariusz Wlodarski for Lava Films (Poland), in co-production with Nordisk Film Sweden.[1]

Release

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The Girl with the Needle world premiere night at 2024 Cannes Film Festival

The Girl with the Needle was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 15 May 2024.[6] It made its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2024.[7] The film has also been selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where it will be screened under the World Cinema section.[8]

International sales were handled by The Match Factory, whose parent Mubi acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Turkey and India a few days after its premiere.[9][10] The film is set to premiere in New York and Los Angeles on 6 December 2024.[3] Gutek Film is set to distribute the film in Poland on 17 January 2025, under the title Dziewczyna z igłą.[11] Nordisk Film Distribution is set to release the film in Denmark on 23 January 2025.[3]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 34 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

The reviews from Cannes described the film as "grippingly acted";[14] a "sombre, commercially uncompromising work";[15] and a "poetic and dark fairy tale."[16]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Cannes Film Festival 25 May 2024 Palme d'Or Magnus von Horn Nominated [17]
Camerimage 23 November 2024 Golden Frog Michał Dymek Won [18][19]
European Film Awards 7 December 2024 European Actress Trine Dyrholm Pending [20]
[21]
Vic Carmen Sonne Pending
European Screenwriter Magnus von Horn and Line Langebek Pending
European Production Design Jagna Dobesz Won [22]
[23]
European Original Score Frederikke Hoffmeier Won
Gdynia Film Festival 27 September 2024 Polish Film Abroad Festivals And Reviews Award Magnus von Horn Won [24]
Young Jury Award Won
Arthouse Cinemas Network Award Won
Journalists Award Won
Best Casting Award Tanja Grunwald Won
28 September 2024 Silver Lions The Girl with the Needle Won [25]
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Trine Dyrholm Won
Best Cinematography Michał Dymek Won
Best Music Frederikke Hoffmeier Won
Best Art Direction Jagna Dobesz Won
Best Costume Design Małgorzata Fudala Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Pham, Annika (18 January 2024). "The Match Factory Snaps Up 'Sweat' Director Magnus von Horn's First Genre Pic, 'The Girl With the Needle' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  2. ^ Lerche Kristiansen, Annegerd (15 October 2017). "Vidste du… at denne kvinde er danmarkshistoriens største seriemorder?" (in Danish). DR. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "'Pigen med nålen' er Danmarks Oscar-kandidat". Danish Film Institute (in Danish). 19 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (19 September 2024). "Oscars: Denmark Selects 'The Girl With The Needle' As Best International Feature Submission". Deadline. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  5. ^ Vourlias, Christopher (10 May 2024). "Magnus von Horn's Cannes Contender 'The Girl With the Needle' Unveils First Clip (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  6. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2024. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  7. ^ "The Girl with the Needle". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  8. ^ Deb, Deepshikha (30 September 2024). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup". High On Films. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  9. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (10 May 2024). "The Match Factory pins its hopes on four competition titles at Cannes". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. ^ Keslassy, Elsa; Ritman, Alex (18 May 2024). "Mubi Acquires Magnus von Horn's Chilling Cannes Competition Entry 'The Girl With the Needle'". Variety. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Dziewczyna z igłą" (in Polish). Gutek Film. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  12. ^ "The Girl with the Needle". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 November 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  13. ^ "The Girl with the Needle". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  14. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (16 May 2024). "The Girl With the Needle review – horrific drama based on Denmark's 1921 baby-killer case". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  15. ^ Lodge, Guy (15 May 2024). "'The Girl With the Needle' Review: Magnus von Horn's Expressionistic Nightmare of Women Abandoned by Society". Variety. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  16. ^ Utichi, Joe (15 May 2024). "'The Girl With The Needle' Review: Magnus Von Horn's Dark Fairytale Retelling Of Denmark's Most Infamous Serial Murder Case Is Beguiling – Cannes Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  17. ^ Ntim, Zac (11 April 2024). "Cannes Film Festival Lineup Set: Competition Includes Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino & Abbasi's Trump Movie — Full List". Deadline. Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  18. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (30 October 2024). "'Gladiator 2,' 'Dune 2,' 'Blitz' Among Camerimage's 2024 Main Competition Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  19. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (23 November 2024). "Camerimage: Gripping Danish Drama 'The Girl With the Needle' Wins Golden Frog". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  20. ^ Szalai, Georg (5 November 2024). "European Film Awards: 'The Substance,' 'Emilia Pérez,' 'The Room Next Door,' Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Nominations 2024". European Film Academy. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  22. ^ Dams, Tim (13 November 2024). "'The Substance', 'The Girl With The Needle' lead craft winners at European Film Awards". Screen International. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Excellence Awards Winners 2024". European Film Academy. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  24. ^ "YOUNG GALA | WINNERS OF THE 49TH PFF". Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  25. ^ "WINNERS OF THE 49th PFF". Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
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