Call Girl

2012

2h 20m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

80%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A madam (Pernilla August) who provides prostitutes to Swedish government officials recruits two 14-year-old cousins to service her powerful clientele.

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Audience Member

Stylish drama with an excellent emphasis on its 1970's setting in terms of look, sets, costume and hairstyles. Despite the fast editing throughout, the plot is worked through at a very pedestrian pace.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

Long-winding, loose, unfocused & stray.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

I got so bored. ONe ould have cut easily 45 minutes off the film and still get the same boring result. Maybe this film said something to the swedes, but if you did not know anything about the specific "bordellhärvan", well... you just got bored.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

Long , but not boring ...interesting caracters , maybe i was better born in the early 60's or sooner !

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

Finely crafted film with natural performances, has a great feel for the era and an uneasy atmosphere.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Set against the backdrop of the 1976 election in Sweden, the story is centred around delinquent teenager Iris (Sofia Karemyr), who is sent to live in a juvenile home. She meets her cousin Sonja (Josefin Asplund) there and the two regularly slip away for adventures in the city centre of Stockholm. Together they are recruited to the prostitution ring operated by Dagmar Glans (Pernilla August), a madam well-known to the authorities. Dagmar's clients are mostly rich and powerful men, including senior politicians of the day. She becomes the subject of a police investigation lead by a young vice officer, John Sandberg (Simon J. Berger). Sandberg soon discovers Glans has powerful clients but also finds his investigation hampered by his superiors and his life threatened by sinister figures... The story is a fictionalised version of events based on the so-called "Bordellhärvan" political scandal of 1970's Sweden which linked several prominent politicians to a prostitution ring that included underage girls. Mikael Marcimain has managed to recreate the 70s down to details and that is the strength of the movie in combination with a good script and good acting from all involved. "Call Girl" is an ensemble film with known names such as Pernilla August, Magnus Krepper, David Dencik, Simon J. Berger, Ruth Vega Fernandez and Jennie Silverhjelm. However, it´s Sofia Karemyr and Josefin Asplund that really stands out portraying two girls with a need for love and a home. The undertones and general vibe creates a shady and depressing environment, and the storyline feels as current as ever unfortunately. I do like the whole "Watergate"ish conspiracy tone and the darkness presented. I firmly believe that these sort of stories is far more important to be told on the silver screen compared to something lighter or easier. "Call Girl" is a needed movie and the consequences we see needs to be addressed over and over.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Mikael Marcimain

Director

Pernilla August

Dagmar Glans

Sofia Karemyr

Iris

Simon J. Berger

John

Sven Nordin

Glenn

David Dencik

Aspen

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Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

This is another whip-smart Scandinavian noir: slightly uncomfortable in its own skin, perhaps, but no less compelling for it.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 16, 2013

Full Review

Guy Lodge

London Evening Standard

Even the good guys have a vampiric air about them.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 16, 2013

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

If this is based on fact then why not make a documentary, naming names? Well, it is food for thought.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 15, 2013

Full Review

Graham Young

Birmingham Mail

Grey hair, hedonism and exploitation are colliding at every turn.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 13, 2013

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

It's a finely crafted film, with big production values and a first-rate cast that's almost eerily natural. And what it has to say is chillingly important.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 3, 2013

Full Review

Stefan Pape

HeyUGuys

Though an ultimately shallow piece of filmmaking - and one that is difficult to invest in emotionally - it remains a captivating and enticing piece of cinema.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 19, 2013

Full Review

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Synopsis

A madam (Pernilla August) who provides prostitutes to Swedish government officials recruits two 14-year-old cousins to service her powerful clientele.

Director: Mikael Marcimain
Screenwriter: Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten
Production Co: Irish Film Board, Film i Väst, Sveriges Television, Newgrange Pictures, Yellow Film & TV, Garagefilm International AB, The Chimney Pot, Friland
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Swedish
Runtime: 2h 20m