Queen

As a family law attorney, Anne (Trine Dyrholm) advocates for children and teens who are abused or mistreated. Day in and day out, she fights against societal ills that couldn't be further from her life. She lives in a beautiful house with her husband Peter (Magnus Krepper) - a successful doctor - and their two daughters. Anne doesn't let anything or anyone stop her from going her own way. But that changes when 16-year-old Gustav (Gustav Lindh), Peter's son from his first marriage, moves in with them. Peter hopes to steer his rebellious filius back on track through orderly family life. But Anne's initially motherly feelings turn over time into a passionate relationship between the woman and the teenager that could destroy everything Anne has built. And there's no way she can let that happen.

Queen was Denmark's Oscar entry in 2020. Director May el-Toukhy's drama thrives on a highly interestingly drawn main character. Anne initially comes across to the viewer as somewhat undercooled, perhaps even arrogant. She is not a real sympathetic figure - at least not at the beginning. But the image changes the more she reveals about herself - only to turn around again. It quickly becomes clear that Anne is a much more complex character than it first appears. It is exciting to watch how she deals with the loss of control over her emotions and how she, of all people, as a family lawyer, justifies her affair with the young Gustav.

The very quiet narration gives the story an additional drama, as the viewer watches Anne destroy her own life piece by piece - and also accepts that Gustav has to suffer emotionally. On the other hand, in the quite explicit sex scenes it becomes clear how much passion and emotion is at play between the two - and how much especially Anne seems to lose herself in it. Great praise is due here not only to the filmmaker for the sensitive realization of the story, but also to Trine Dyrholm for her extremely strong performance, which contributes significantly to Anne becoming such an interesting character.

Queen is a stirring drama until the stirring end, which drags a little in some places, but which convinces overall through atmospheric images, a convincing ensemble and a strong story. The theatrical release has unfortunately been cancelled, but the film is now available as video-on-demand on all major platforms such as Apple TV or Prime Video. Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp