The Girl with the Needle

A struggling woman in post-WWI Copenhagen is taken in by a confectioner running a side business taking unwanted babies in The Girl with the Needle. In the dying days of the first World War, seamstress Karoline (Vic Carmen Sonne) is suddenly evicted from the apartment she shared with her MIA husband Peter (Besir Zeciri). Karoline finds some solstice when she enters into a new relationship with her boss Jørgen (Joachim Fjelstrup). However, the happiness is short-lived when Peter unexpectably returns from the war, now with a horribly disfigured face, and Jørgen is forced by his baroness mother to end his relationship with Karoline, and fire her from the sowing factory, after she becomes pregnant with Jørgen’s baby.

Not wanting to keep the baby, Karoline attempts to abort the pregnancy in a public bathhouse using a giant needle. Karoline is saved from seriously harming herself by middle-aged woman Dagmar (Trine Dyrholm), who offers to take Karoline’s baby after birth and find a foster family. When Karoline is unable to afford the fee for Dagmar’s services, she offers to work for the woman as a wet nurse. However, as time goes by, Karoline discovers the horrifying truth of what Dagmar does with the unwanted babies.

The Girl with the Needle Synopsis

The Girl with the Needle is a period drama co-written and directed by Magnus von Horn, set in post-WWI Copenhagen. The film is shot is expressionist black and white cinematography, which is quite reminiscent of the early films of David Lynch, particularly Eraserhead and The Elephant Man. Indeed, the latter is heavily evoked through a subplot involving the protagonist Karoline’s heavily disfigured husband Peter, who has begun working as part of a carnival freak show and has loud fits of PTSD during the night.

The main plot line of The Girl with the Needle sees Karoline cross paths with Dagmar Overby, one of the most infamous figures from the era. Saying why she is infamous constitutes a spoiler, which will be discussed in more detail later in this review, however Karoline comes to realize that Dagmar is not merely a good Samaritan. It isn’t long until Karoline finds herself in a living nightmare.

My Thoughts on The Girl with the Needle

It is going to be hard to give my thoughts on The Girl with the Needle without getting into the horrific true events that the plot of the film is inspired by. However, I would argue that the film is much more affective if you go into the film knowing as little as possible about the true nature of Dagmar Overby. As such, if you want to remain in the dark, I wouldn’t recommend proceeding any further.

With The Girl with the Needle, director Magnus von Horn has created an expressionist period drama that features gorgeous black and white cinematography that contrasts its increasingly horrific and disturbing story. In some ways, The Girl with the Needle can be seen as a de facto companion film to Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon, both through their black and white visuals and grim subject manner. The result in a film that I recommend, but have no intention to rewatch anytime soon.

Trailer for The Girl with the Needle