Set in the grim aftermath of World War I, The Girl with the Needle (Pigen med nålen) by Magnus von Horn delves into the underbelly of a Copenhagen struggling with hunger, grief, and social collapse. This stark, black-and-white period drama traces the story of Karoline, a young woman left to fend for herself in a world that preys on the vulnerable — and where survival blurs the line between care and cruelty.

Movie Details	The Girl with the Needle
Country	Denmark
Year	2024
Genre	Historical Drama, Psychological Thriller
Runtime	116 min
Director	Magnus von Horn
Main Actors	Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Amaryllis August

From its opening frames, the film establishes a haunting visual language: grainy textures, fog-drenched streets, and interiors steeped in shadow. The cinematography by Michał Dymek is both exquisite and oppressive, evoking early European expressionism while grounding the narrative in visceral realism. Each frame feels like a photograph from a forgotten archive, brittle and full of untold pain.

Karoline, played with quiet ferocity by Vic Carmen Sonne, navigates a society indifferent to women’s suffering. After a tragic loss, she finds herself drawn to Dagmar, a maternal yet unsettling figure played by Trine Dyrholm, who runs an underground “adoption” operation. What begins as an act of mercy slowly reveals its horror — an unspoken commentary on class, exploitation, and the commodification of life itself.

Von Horn, known for Sweat (2020), constructs the film with restraint and precision. He avoids sensationalism, opting instead for moral ambiguity and the weight of silence. Every gesture — the threading of a needle, the creak of a door, the whisper of a lullaby — becomes charged with dread. Beneath its historical surface, The Girl with the Needle speaks to enduring questions about systemic neglect, the invisibility of the poor, and the violence of institutions that claim to protect.

Both Sonne and Dyrholm deliver extraordinary performances, anchoring the film’s emotional duality: innocence and complicity, tenderness and horror. Their scenes together unfold like psychological duels — quiet, intimate, and devastating. The score, minimal and dissonant, deepens the unease without ever dictating emotion.

Premiering in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, where it received the Jury Prize and widespread critical acclaim, The Girl with the Needle marks a return to form for Danish cinema: rigorous, socially aware, and unflinchingly human. It situates itself in the lineage of Nordic storytelling that confronts moral decay through austere beauty.

In the end, von Horn’s film is not merely about atrocity — it is about complicity. It reminds us that the most terrifying horrors are not those of monsters, but of ordinary people pushed to survive in extraordinary cruelty.