Rainha de Copas

«Início decentemente dirigido a um vídeo de Pornhub tipo milf-stepmom-algo» — quer-se escrever durante a primeira meia hora. E que a pornografia virá com detalhes surpreendentes e com naturalismo. No entanto, o capricho irresponsável duma mulher de cinquenta anos, que parece ser um mero entretenimento para donas de casa aborrecidas, torna-se um drama familiar de proporções inesperadas com um impacto em todos os envolvidos. Mais uma vez, os dinamarqueses abrem com precisão psicológica o tema dos tons mais escuros da natureza humana, desta vez os mais perigosos das mulheres, os da manipulação. A cena do contra-ataque da protagonista no momento em que é acusada pelo seu marido e tem de se defender é a admissão mais aberta do traço de mau carácter mais típico do sexo feminino. Surpreendentemente franco e direto para o nosso tempo. Trine Dyrholm surpreendeu-me que ela quisesse representar um papel como este. [Helsinki IFF] (29/09/2019)

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)

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)

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)

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)

This seemingly peaceful family story develops over time into a chilling psychological drama. Northerners should patent such films for how bravely they can deal with dark themes. Trine Dyrholm played the erotically daring title role with unprecedented conviction, and she could not have played the insensitive Anna any better. It should be noted that Gustav Lindh and Magnus Krepper kept up with her throughout and also gave excellent performances. (85%) (13/08/2021)