The Girl with the Needle

Play trailer

1:29

The Girl with the Needle

Now Playing

1h 55m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A standout selection from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE is a dark fairy tale about one woman's search for tenderness and morality in a cruel world. Both eerie and exquisite, writer-director Magnus von Horn's latest film tracks young factory worker Karoline as she struggles to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen. When she ends up unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, the charismatic Dagmar takes her in to help run an underground adoption agency for unwanted children. The two women form an unexpected bond, until a sudden revelation changes everything. Based on a chilling true story, THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE presents a masterful gothic vision with profound contemporary resonance. Denmark's Best International Feature Film entry to the 97th Academy Awards® also features EFA-nominated performances from Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm, gorgeous cinematography by EO's Michał Dymek, and a spellbinding score by Frederikke Hoffmeier (Puce Mary).

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Critics Consensus

Threading its grim tale through sumptuous black-and-white photography, The Girl with the Needle is a haunting parable made with superb craft.

Read Critics Reviews

S. Nicole Lane

Chicago Reader

It’s a chair-gripping, toe-curling story.

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

“The Girl With the Needle” is most intriguing when it lingers in its disturbing fictions, which come to life with exceptional style.

Dec 9, 2024

Full Review

Katie Walsh

Los Angeles Times

A harrowing and eerie horror fairy tale from another time, even as it feels startlingly fresh and always unpredictable.

Dec 9, 2024

Full Review

Alison Gillmor

Winnipeg Free Press

This may be a true-crime story, but the narrative structure is unusual and a bit sly. By the time the full immensity of the central crime is revealed, we are caught tight in its grip, along with Karoline.

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

Aaron Neuwirth

We Live Entertainment

The film wisely knows that it is acting as a sort of historical horror picture and can rely on various types of imagery, let alone two incredibly central performances, to make it all work as effectively as it does.

Rated: 8/10

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

Almost imperceptibly, the film transitions from a blunt critique of the judgmental, moralistic society at the time to a bold, Gothic horror movie.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Whispered M

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/24

Full Review

Christopher N

You will be shaken 💀

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Hana M

Wow. Very disturbing yet intriguing storyline. Incredible acting. Wonderful cinematography.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

B P

A Gothic Portrait of Empathy and a Serial Killer

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/18/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Magnus von Horn

Director

Vic Carmen Sonne

Karoline

Trine Dyrholm

Dagmar

Besir Zeciri

Peter

Ava Knox Martin

Erena

Joachim Fjelstrup

Jørgen

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Girl with the Needle: Trailer 1

1:29

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

A standout selection from the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE is a dark fairy tale about one woman's search for tenderness and morality in a cruel world. Both eerie and exquisite, writer-director Magnus von Horn's latest film tracks young factory worker Karoline as she struggles to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen. When she ends up unemployed, abandoned and pregnant, the charismatic Dagmar takes her in to help run an underground adoption agency for unwanted children. The two women form an unexpected bond, until a sudden revelation changes everything. Based on a chilling true story, THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE presents a masterful gothic vision with profound contemporary resonance. Denmark's Best International Feature Film entry to the 97th Academy Awards® also features EFA-nominated performances from Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm, gorgeous cinematography by EO's Michał Dymek, and a spellbinding score by Frederikke Hoffmeier (Puce Mary).

Director: Magnus von Horn
Producer: Malene Blenkov, Mariusz Włodarski
Screenwriter: Magnus von Horn, Line Langebek
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Nordisk Film
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 6, 2024, Limited
Runtime: 1h 55m