Queen of Hearts

« Un prélude décemment mis en scène à la vidéo Pornhub milf-stepmom-something » - voudrait-on écrire pour la première demi-heure. Et il y a aussi ce porno avec des détails et un naturalisme surprenant. Mais de ce caprice irresponsable d'une femme dans la cinquantaine, qui semble n'être qu'un divertissement pour les femmes au foyer qui s'ennuient, émerge un drame familial d'une ampleur inattendue avec des répercussions sur tous les participants. Les Danois ouvrent à nouveau avec précision psychologique le thème des nuances sombres de la nature humaine, cette fois-ci celles des femmes les plus dangereuses et manipulatrices. La scène de contre-attaque de la protagoniste principale lorsqu'elle est acculée dans un coin par les accusations de son mari est la plus ouvertement révélatrice du trait de caractère féminin le plus typique. Étonnamment ouvert et direct pour notre époque. Je suis surpris que Trine Dyrholm ait voulu jouer un tel rôle. [Helsinki IFF] (29/09/2019)

A masterfully grasped, serious theme of abuse of power and domination, which has a functionally-set directing concept - after a distant introduction, in which the protagonist experiences feelings of dissatisfaction and boredom, the film turns into subjective filming when passion awakens in the protagonist... and inevitably leads to a hypothermic conclusion in which Anna will make several difficult moral choices without any hope of a happy start. Queen of Hearts is urgent in making simple moral judgments impossible. Anna's choices may be reprehensible, but they are also understandable. Trine Dyrholm plays this character perfectly and her acting really dominates the screen. It is a pity that the conclusion crumbles and falters and the final tragedy and closed arc are no longer as impressive as some (not as fatal) of the consequences before them. I very much appreciate the broadening of the perspective of the MeToo debate on the topic of vulnerable and naive masculinity. (16/01/2020)

This is how I imagine a typical Scandinavian drama. The story unfolds at a very calm pace, I would even dare to say that it drags on for some viewers, but, for me, it has an ideal pace. After all, it's about everyday life, right? Sure, everyone has different standards, but in life, you are more likely to encounter situations presented by the Danish-Swedish group of creators rather than being abducted by a UFO or winning a billion-dollar jackpot. Well, I guess my life isn't exactly fast-paced either. I bet adolescents and hardcore puritans will remember only a few scenes from the whole film (the former just to get off on those scenes, and the latter to advocate banning this pornographic garbage), completely missing the point of the movie. For me, the theme was brilliantly handled. Trine Dyrholm shone in the role of a cold-blooded manipulator. When you realize what her character, Anne, does for a living (and what she probably considers her life mission), the film leaves an even more unsettling impression. I'll add a fifth star just to spite the self-righteous prudes. / Lesson learned: Every action has its consequences. But you also get urges... (15/07/2023)

It’s better to watch this film without knowing any details of the story beforehand. The first fifteen minutes at least work like a slightly mysterious introduction to the background and the trio of main characters, who turn out to be a pretty interesting and psychologically unusually open gang. The female lead is a characterless villain who turns the lives of others upside down, but we can understand her and think freely about her actions. And it doesn’t matter whether you are a man or a woman, the main motifs are strong and comprehensible enough for everyone. 80% (16/01/2021)

Quite a wild Danish story. The Danes were once again not afraid to open a quite serious topic, this time targeting a MILF who gets it on with the son of her husband. But because we’re in Denmark, the Scandinavians don’t skimp on the plot twists and you won’t believe the lengths to which Trine Dyrholm’s character is willing to go. After all the Scandinavian dramas I’ve seen, it doesn’t surprise me that much. The only thing that did surprise me in this film was one explicit scene, which will probably stay in my memory forever. Oh well. (21/02/2020)