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The Girl With the Needle

Play trailer 1:29 Poster for The Girl With the Needle Released Dec 6, 2024 2h 3m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 100+ 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).
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The Girl With the Needle

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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Tara Brady Irish Times The ever-reliable Dyrholm is both charismatic and curdling as the grubby matriarch. But most of the film is writ large and affectingly in Sonne’s agonised face. Rated: 5/5 Feb 28, 2025 Full Review Michael O'Sullivan Washington Post Sonne delivers a twitchy performance, lurching from meek withdrawal to rage. Rated: 3/4 Feb 3, 2025 Full Review Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle Its answers are uneasy and disquieting, and the true root of its horror. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 31, 2025 Full Review Elsa Fernández-Santos El Pais (Spain) Despite Dymek's exquisite work and a good happy ending, Von Horn's film fails to confront the horror it depicts; rather, on the contrary, it only exalts the cruelty of what happens on screen. [Full review in Spanish] Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Sergi Sánchez Fotogramas The power of Magnus von Horn's film is measured in the tension between the expressionist photography, in pristine and elaborate black and white, and the boundless sensationalism that runs through its plot...[Full review in Spanish] Rated: 3/5 Mar 21, 2025 Full Review Alex Heeney Seventh Row The world of The Girl with the Needle is a sinister one, where husbands can disappear in the war without a trace, and you can be thrown out of your home or your job with a moment’s notice...one of the year’s hardest watches and also one of its very best. Mar 5, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Melissa Absolutely brutal and unsparing look at life in poverty in post-WWI Denmark and how some people will go to any length to survive. Not for the faint of heart. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/25 Full Review Audience Member Captivating and suspenseful Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/22/25 Full Review martyna j "Girl with a Needle" is an incredibly moving and beautifully made film that delights with both an engaging plot and wonderful acting. The director masterfully captures the emotions of the characters, and the atmosphere of the era is presented with extraordinary attention to detail. It is a story full of passion, drama and emotion, which will remain in the memory for a long time. I highly recommend it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/25 Full Review Kenneth R D This is a stunningly well done, psychological horror film. The photography is sumptuous, the sound / score exceptionally impactful and the subject matter of the depths of disregard for the life and well being of others amid and following WW1 is haunting. The tension and impact Magnus Van Horn achieves without being graphic is extraordinary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/03/25 Full Review Vladislav R A haunting psychological drama about the real horrors of life, the social issues of the post-war era, and human cruelty toward one another. Visually, the film is stunning. The cinematography is particularly impressive, with masterful use of angles, shadows, and mirrors—reminiscent of Orson Welles. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/25 Full Review Gregory W This is dark. It’s set in Denmark after WWI and hits on some pretty serious topics, like class consciousness, poverty, women’s rights, family planning, ableism, and flat-out right or wrong. There is an utter lack of joy in this movie, purposefully. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a beautifully shot but cold-hearted morality tale. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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
Box Office (Gross USA)
$112.2K
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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