The film will immerse the viewer in the exploration of the destructive power of forbidden desire and how sexual violence can masquerade as voluntary seduction. “Queen of Hearts” is a film in which the main character becomes an antagonist, where our emotional swing will shift several times, where our own morality will be explored when empathy acts against us. This is a psychologically and morally challenging film that dares to remind us that it's not just women who can be the perpetrators of abuse, where men can be the victims.
Anne and her husband Peter are an upper-middle class couple living with their two young daughters, in a forest near Copenhagen. She is a partner at a law firm that specializes in protecting the rights of victims of sexual and domestic violence, and he is a lead surgeon. Their lives are unremarkable, but happy. However, things change when Gustav, Peter’s unbearable son from his first marriage, arrives to stay with them after being expelled from his Swedish school. Although at first the main character is not delighted with his sullen presence, over time he awakens something in her, after which she seduces him, turning the joint duo into a dangerous romance.
The great strength of the script is that the public is first pushed to sympathize with the main character before questioning our own morality. How did he identify the viewer with the woman’s thoughts? It's quite simple when you consider that she's the emotional center of the film in the first two acts. She is presented as a brave, purposeful and self-confident woman who has been appalled not only by the abuse her clients have suffered, but also by a system that could potentially find them wrong. As soon as she has an affair, the audience is somewhat shocked by what Anne does, these things are depicted in such a way as to show the viewer what erotic freedom is, watching a sexual awakening. (remember the scene where she first genuinely smiles when Gustav invites her to swim in the lake or touch while playing hide and seek). Only when she is faced with the possibility of revealing the novel will we see who Anne really is – a callous and cruel exploiter, unable to see that he is committing the same violence to which her clients are subjected.
Another important element in the film is the gender paradigm. As mentioned, we first have a sense of empathy for Anne and approval for her actions. After all, she's a hardworking, decent woman whose marriage has lost its spark, so who can deny her a little illegal play? But would we think the same way if the sex in the movie changed places? How would we react to the story of a man in his forties seducing a girl in her 18th birthday? With this, the director questions our morals, forcing us to condone the main character’s actions, and then asking how we could ever empathize with her so much. Gender - in her opinion, does not matter in cases of violence, and the fact that a woman can behave in this way too - is part of the film's complex thematic structure. Everyone will have an opinion on this.
Trine Durholm's acting skills, great. Initially playing Anne as a free and inherently decent woman; but once Gustav appears on stage, she relaxes and behaves differently, showing a different confidence that is closely related to her inner feelings rather than professionalism. Later, when she is confronted with the idea that Peter might learn about the affair and that her comfortable middle-class life could be put at risk, she shuts down, suppressing emotions as she transitions from protagonist to antagonist. Throughout this, the actress doesn’t let us forget that Anne is a freelance person, but she’s just as completely exposed to the darker qualities of the main character. These swings do everything they can to end up despising her.
The 25-year-old actor Gustav has had a hard time playing with such a strong actress as he has only been filming since 2015, but he is good at it. And just as actress Trine creates a cold image for Anne, so Gustav, who plays the main character, is her complete opposite. She is presented as a positive character at the beginning of the film, and he is an irritable and capricious scoundrel. The development of the main characters throughout the film is able to change their places, making the support of the final act even more emotional. The actor who played Peter got less to appear in the frame than his colleagues in the film, he does it casually and professionally. He plays his hero as a decent, loving father, but not particularly soulful and attentive to his family. Sex between him and Anna is very rare, and even when they are engaged in it, it is mechanical, banal movements. However, this is his most serious misconduct, if Anna and Gustav represent the emotional center of the film in certain places, then Peter is the moral center everywhere.
Addressing gender inequality in relation to sexual trauma and violence, Queen of Hearts & #39 is a story about how a woman can be a predator just as easily as a man. Indeed, the film reminds us that gender does not matter when considering the pain caused by such predation. In the end, Gustav is no different from the clients Anne works with, she legitimately protects them, but when Anne finds herself in the role of a criminal, her treatment of Gustav is as reprehensible as anything done to her clients. This film is interesting thematically and is in emotionally challenging territory. It won’t be easy to watch all the minutes of this movie, but it’s worth looking at to ask, “How do I feel about these characters?” This is useful, especially if you have not doubted the correctness of the decisions.
The title really reads well, and it is clear who this queen is, the director leaves no chance for confusion. Anna is a successful aging lady, of whom there are many, her life really looks like a perfect, pretty husband, healthy children and a chic house. Initially, she evokes sympathy, despite inadequate antics, which are indicated by colleagues and even her husband, the character of this person is not sugar. But her sincere involvement in the fate of the wards (she is a lawyer and psychologist) elevates her in the eyes of the viewer, because she is impulsive, but in fact, with her husband a little worse, although she compromises, yes, and a long relationship, this is a special organic husband and wife.
That’s where the most interesting thing begins, the husband’s son comes from his first marriage, and I would understand if he was even a well-formed guy, but no... looks extremely unattractive and very childish. This is how such a serious woman asks for a child (and he is a child, he is not even 18). In general, in her old age, she apparently slightly went crazy, I hope such cases are rare. Her behavior in the second half of the film is simply shocking, I was just outraged by her shamelessness, you can try to understand, but the situation is very ugly. The main character has all the cards in her hands, and she shuffles the lives of others as she pleases, to look at it quite disgusting.
Of the pluses of the picture, a wonderful camera work, indeed, sometimes the heroine seems pretty, and sometimes quite old, in these strange reflections we lose the understanding of who she is a terrible villain or just a person who made a mistake.
Good music, specific bed scenes in which there is little romantic and a lot of real.
But what about love? This woman doesn’t love anyone and doesn’t want to love her either. History is designed for the Swedes, since this social reality does not beat ours at all.
But there is no question of crime and punishment, pity the boy who was not needed from the very beginning, if the children disappoint you, it does not mean that they should not be loved, probably. . .
The plot of one ordinary Danish family is a successful husband and wife, charming children, smart conversations at the table, bedtime stories, swimming in the lake, etc. But everything changes when the son of the father of the family comes from his ex-wife. The mother of the family begins to feel attracted to the stepson. . .
Honestly, I expected more from the film. First, the wife's motives are unclear. For example, in the reference tape ' Infidel' Adriana Linea the main character has a motive for infidelity in the form of a very passive, cold husband. You can't say that about Peter here. Despite the age and the presence of children, their relationship was very adequate. So it's just insatiable? Isn't it too easy for the Scandinavians?
Starting in the middle, the film turns into frivolous eroticism, and you also need to somehow get out of this situation. Here the creators miscalculated for the second time, choosing the easiest way.
Maybe I'm not catching up, but the movie isn't. Or there’s something else to learn from history. Lately, I increasingly doubt this, out of reach for us, the happiness of Scandinavians – 6 hours of work, recycling, healthy lifestyle, etc. Maybe this story is already cracking and we don't see it.
'I can resist anything but temptation' This phrase belongs to the genius Oscar Wilde, who (to his credit) understood himself, accepted and was not afraid to show it all to the world. Honesty is on the verge of divine design. The honesty that our hypocritical world has managed to adapt to its own passions, turn inside out and skillfully propagate literally in any media format. As the heroine of the film May El Tuki ' Queen of Hearts' (another condo ' translation ' domestic distributors).
Anna is an exemplary demonstrative careerist, cut from feminist attitudes, which in Scandinavian countries profess as a catechism. Outwardly, she is quite successful and restrained, personifying ' Law and Order' on a personal career spot. Her official priorities (not coincidentally for the plot) revolve around the problem of child abuse and legal services in this social sphere. And on the territory of Scandinavia, it is juvenile justice that is the queen of jurisprudence. Any statement ' about children ' is punishable in a matter of hours and with the most severe measures. And against this benevolent background, burdened with professional duties, the madam starts a daring and not like a childish stormy affair with her own minor stepson, who has already entered puberty, but still vaguely understands the urges of his own young body. However, deprived of parental warmth and appropriate upbringing from the small nails, as is usual with the children of divorced parents, the boy readily responds to such a specific attention of an adult (if not to say aging) woman, taking her manipulations for simple human warmth and attention. And quite logically falls in love with an aunt, realizing that she brings to his loneliness not only the coveted warmth, but also unexpected pleasure. But it always ends. First love is generally an insidious thing, but with young Gustav she was very cruel.
In general, in modern society with distorted morality and blurred moral guidelines, the topic of pedophilia is considered exceptionally male. A priori, female pedophilia does not exist in nature. Feminism, which struggles so hard to equalize the rights of the sexes, is somehow uncharacteristically passive in this matter. And in that sense, the film of an Egyptian-born Dane is like a time bomb. After all, while this film, worthy of the most close attention of the most advanced festivals, did not collect a special audience and, apart from the Sanders-19 audience award, did not arouse any professional interest. And I am afraid, for the time being, he will be forgotten, since he generally goes against the recently promoted & #39; program & #39; harassment, in which the fair sex is originally a victim. There!
And then the main character (decisively and without a hint of any reflections) easily crosses the line and begins to literally terrorize a creature, not only not experienced in all senses, but also completely dependent on her, believing in the honesty of adults by young naivety. And it seems that the fateful finale of this Anna does not bother at all - on the contrary, legally closes the scandalous story due to the absence of the subject of the crime.
I liked that the director, subjecting the characters of the characters to harsh dissection, does not try to draw their own conclusions, allowing us, the audience, to the extent, so to speak, of their own depravity. And, having read the numerous comments and reviews, I am convinced that there are not a few who justify the heroine in every possible way. At the same time, the name of Mr. Freud is often mentioned, who, I am afraid, turned over in the grave more than once, since he hardly ever counted on such a number of fans ' They also seem to have never read it. Is it possible to justify selfishness raised to the level of crime? And is it permissible to lay half of the guilt & #39 on a teenager, even if he is several times convicted of stealing someone else’s property? And in general, is it possible to measure someone’s life and ephemeral household well-being with one scale?
Questions, questions... And not only that, but it comes after watching. The impression is heavy and ... very realistic - you perceive the film not as a fictional story, but as a kind of life lesson. Which in the event that ' straw lay' - after all, there are many temptations on the way and it is difficult to resist them, and it is even more difficult to admit it.
In general, the film director deserves the highest score, since she not only managed to recognize the topic, but also successfully implement it. There are complaints about the main roles. Ms. Durholm is still more a singer than an actress, and in this case she, alas, could not exactly go through all the vicissitudes of the history of her heroine, even at the level of facial expressions. I am already silent about the more or less realistic depiction of lust-passion. Terror and lies were much better for her. Gustav Lind, who plays the role of her unhappy counterpart, is also too inexperienced (in his luggage, mostly random roles in TV series) and the psychedelic image, because of this, he could not comprehend almost. And what he did, so to speak, on a whim, did not always fall ' in time '. In these roles, I think Robin Wright and Asa Butterfield would look perfect. As they say, these are dreams.
However, the film should be watched and I intend to promote it in my environment. And for the directorial decision
Swedish stylish and Danish laconic tape about dangerous connections, uncontrollable emotional impulses and how the world of adults is cruel and unfair to children.
Mai el-Tuki is not the first time working in tandem with the charming Trine Dürholm, the owner of a silver bear for her role in the Winterberg Commune. In the Queen of Hearts, the union of both reaches its climax, turning the picture into a beautiful, overflowing with feelings and emotions spectacle.
The tranquility of a family of four is disturbed by a teenager (Gustav Lind), the son of the father of the family from his first marriage. With certain teenage problems, he moves in with his father for a while to finally get close to him and make plans for the future together. The new father's family - Anna (Trine Durholm) and wonderful twin girls - warmly welcome Gustav. As it turns out, even too warm.
Nothing can predict unbridled passion, which, like dynamite, works at the most inopportune moments. Under the influence of what it can detonate is another mystery of physiology. Anna is a lawyer who deals with cases of child abuse, unexpectedly succumbs to violent passions and recklessly rushes into the arms of Gustav - his own stepson. Very subtly and sensually shows the very process of realizing Anna's attraction to Gustav. The actress with absolute accuracy manages to convey all the emotions experienced by a middle-aged woman with a fleeting and dangerous fall in love with a teenager, with fear of being caught in what she did, with the realization of impunity and undeniable rightness in everything that will be done after.
The Queen is becoming the Queen of Hearts. Alice in Wonderland is read to the twins in the film, so the distributors decide to draw a certain parallel and thereby denounce the metaphor embodied in the image of the Carroll Queen of Hearts. This is one of the few successful cases of free translation of the title of a feature film. But with the genre here a little too much. From the picture it could well be a thriller, if the teenager was, for example, a little harder. The film used all the components of a good thriller: and chilling music – just great, by the way; and deserted interior shots; and scenes in the changing womb of nature, when the sunny and warm summer is replaced by cold and twisted morning frosts in the spring. Over the latter, the operator perfectly conjured, who put unexpected angles, shooting sometimes from the most unpredictable places. The film, as a whole, is certainly a high-quality product, each component of which is thought out to a single detail.
The Queen of Hearts is a heavy drama that leaves more questions than any clear answers.
There is a mood of “cold alienation”, without the desire to experience vivid emotions, a little thoughtful. Just a little. Without an internal impulse to find deeper meaning and solve puzzles. The state of detachment in unison with the Scandinavian thriller, in the style of Thomas Winterberg, however, all his films I have already seen. So in search of the "Dronningen" or simply "Queen". What kind of queen the author will talk about in the first minutes of the film. Yes, to the very red queen who so loved to chop heads off her subjects in L. Carroll's fairy tale. It is this book that the main character of the film reads to her children. Perhaps the Russian name also hints to the viewer about this (Queen with a heart).
About the film.
A quiet suburb, an ideal house, a garage, a fireplace, a lawn, comfortable clothes, delicious food, a prosperous family, a prestigious job in a state with a high standard of living and in the happiest country in the world, according to many publications and independent experts. In general, a beautiful picture, which many dream about.
Organization and monotony (in a good sense). Is that true? Is this just a picture?
On the example of the working moments of the main character, the director questions the social security, legal and actual protection of children, the psychological confidence of minors in the justice of the “ideal” state. Is everything so well?
In addition, in the image of the character of Anna, the author raises moral questions that do not have unambiguous answers, which is confirmed by the already submitted reviews of the film. Many reviewers see the main character as a selfish, immoral “red queen”. Maybe. But she doesn't seem like a monster to me, at least not more than Gustav. By the way, it was the desire to stand up for Anna that prompted me to write this review.
Anna is a part of this “immaculate” society: a good wife, a caring mother, a hospitable hostess, a dedicated lawyer and a successful psychologist, even a virtuoso manipulator and can be a matchless actress if she needs it. She has been taught so much by living in an “ideal” state: she knows how to maintain the appearance of “perfectness.” A difficult role that requires incredible effort and time, and therefore deserves respect. However, she is a man of flesh and blood, a woman with her desires, emotions, fears, nervous tension, unrealized sexual fantasies.
Some of his behavior may be considered immoral. But is her act so immoral? Did she seduce her stepson? Sigmund Freud would have called her action perfectly normal. And this is not the first precedent in the history of mankind, and not the first film adaptation (there are even many comedies). Do you blame her for her behavior after...? Who wouldn’t want to save their family and reputation? Are there many people who would be guilty or would they confess to their spouse? Well, well. In addition, it is possible to reproach her for selfishness or manipulation of emotions of people close to her, I believe, to the same extent as Gustav, who, however, is no longer a child. Once deprived of pleasure, an unbridled, unbred thief decides to take revenge - to make public. Blackmail is a known weapon of manipulation.
Neither he nor she could foresee the consequences of his actions. Can Anna be blamed for being short-sighted? Did she want that ending?
Bottom line:
“Queen of Hearts” – a high-quality psychological drama, turning into a thriller, keeps in suspense in the traditions of Scandinavian cinema: cold, aloof, slow and methodical (which is even worse). Without spectacular footage and exciting music. Good acting, especially by Trine Durholm. I can't recommend it to everyone. Movies aren't for everyone. If you are a fan of this genre and atmosphere or you, like me, overtook a similar mood, then I recommend spending two hours watching.
8 out of 10
Please excuse me in advance if my comment sounds a little shocking.
To begin with, the original title of the film is “The Queen.”
In our people about the blind, indomitable female passion they say “madness of the uterus”, in enlightened Europe – the mad female organ is called “queen”.
The film’s director, Mai-el-Tuki, an Egyptian-born Dane, patiently and impartially investigates the problem of sexual abuse in a respectable family of successful lawyers and doctors.
“Sometimes what happens and what should never happen are the same thing,” says Anna, a socialite of 48, the mother of ten-year-old twin girls.
The fact is that the withering body of this woman greedily put seventeen-year-old stepson, suddenly settled in their house.
The trick is that she, a well-known social worker with a long legal experience, specialized in protecting victims of juvenile violence.
Her personality was extraordinary.
Always a well-groomed prim lady who has made a brilliant career in law. Skillfully plans both work and pleasure, manipulating people, including her own husband and an inexperienced teenager. She believes in her own ambitions so much that she is devoid of any complexes.
A strong woman was surrounded by weak-character men, which is akin to a mechanism of slow action. And that mine exploded.
The consequences were terrible and unpredictable.
Take a look and see for yourself.
The picture is flawless from the point of view of cinema art.
It's sweet and embarrassing. It's scary and ugly. Two facets of vice. Desire prevails over reason. Who are we and what are we? Both man and beast live in us. It is as if the call of the Spirit, burning from within, elevates to the palaces of the gods. And at the same time the call of the Flesh descends to the depths of the Animal. Two extremes that we fall into without counting.
I haven't had time to drink my autumn yet
And the snow is already guarding at the gate.
He's my hope as the roads roll.
And he threatens to lay over me the sky.
Snowfall, snowfall, do not point at me braids
Do not knock on my door, at the gate do not circle.
Snowfall, snowfall if a woman asks
Don't rush it in the summer.
A meteorite in the solar system. Where's he going? Who will you face on your flight path? Who does he like? What kind of trouble can he do? Is it possible to predict and anticipate its movement? Astronomical calculations allow this. The aesculapians of the celestial spheres diagnose without error. But it's all over us. Over your heads. Our heads. And we're talking about inanimate objects. About stones rushing at exorbitant speeds. How predictable are human meteorites? Impulsivity, everyone has their own emotions. Characteristics of the widest spectrum to verify. Time is necessary to understand the essence of the object. A little doubted the first impressions, a little let loose the reins of the cart of the mortal body, and get paid. It's a problem. Morality screams, calling for answers. Society, it's censure. Slaps from society one by one. And avoiding is not easy. And the guards don’t save you.
Don't rush, snowfall, I'm not ready yet.
You haven't had time to embarrass my soul yet.
The inexhaustible pain of the swan word
Not to you, but to him I want to dedicate. . .
But flesh... What do you want me to do with her? Where will you hide from her? Where will you send this tempter? Exhausting. It's tempting. Puts the mind gate guards to sleep. Envelops a sweet mist of dreams. Pushing, tempting. You're in the grip of a seductive veil. The shaky boundaries of what's allowed now. The heat got higher, more violent, more insane. One careless step is to burn yourself alive. . .
. I'm going to break about your inevitability.
A blue blizzard will water my house.
I beg you, snowfall, do not snow my tenderness.
Don't touch love with a chilling wing
The Scandinavian thriller is a piercing drama. And I want to hide my eyes in my pillow. And shrivelling shoulders to take a breath from the rapidly unfolding plot. A lady, mother and wife at the edge of the abyss. On the threshold of fiftieth birthday, like a girl catches a moth of love pleasure. In the unbridled curvature of the internal rhythm. Suddenly sounded at the sight of a young man, almost a boy.
Snowfall, snowfall, do not point at my braids
Do not knock on my door, at the gate do not circle.
Snowfall, snowfall if a woman asks
Baby summer, don't rush her. . .
The director seems to be playing with the audience. Both Anna and Peter, a married couple, are peacemakers of this world. She's a social worker with legal baggage. He is a practicing physician. 'Healers' The souls of men before us. To help those who have chosen for themselves. So what happens? Here, as the author would say. The inside of the gloss, your eyes.
The tape, echoing the Scandinavian ' Flowers of time' (1995), British ' Mother's Story'(2003), bearing a pinch of Russian 'Forest'(2018), 'Your tutor'(2018).
Danish cinema is not only 'Bridge' or Lars von Trier. This is a huge cultural layer created by directors, actors, created and created on a permanent basis.
The central editions have already published reviews of this film, and by and large, there is nothing to add to them.
I can only express admiration.
Excellent acting - a minimum of words, emotions that arise and immediately hide. A person whose true essence manifests itself not in serving a good cause, but in achieving his goals, without any doubts and moral torments.
An ordinary household story, where x-rays of feelings and desires shine through its participants.
The limit to which a person is ready to go and beyond which he is ready to go, protecting himself. The price a person is willing to pay.
A very simple film. Very simple in the story, its development. Not embellishing either the heroine (including physically - in any of her appearances on the screen), or other participants.
I watched The Queen of Hearts (originally just The Queen, which is an important nuance). I liked it. Clear.
The film is moderately complex, moderately provocative, somewhere even repulsive. Pheeeeee, what's the story? But the plot is classic. Just as Lanthimos gracefully plays with ancient myths in The Murder of a Sacred Deer, so in this case the history of the Greek Phaedra organically moves into Scandinavian scenery. It doesn’t smell like love here.
Why do I say the original name is important? Yes, because the g promotes a complex solitaire of human passions, deftly manipulating the balance. In this card world, she is a queen, a fatal figure, a lady of spades. And the map, as we remember, is divided into 2 mirror parts.
The movie is split exactly in half. In the second half, it will radically change our attitude to the characters, emotional state and perception of what is happening. It is no coincidence and absolutely beautiful Trine Durholm operator in some moments removes as a young nymph, and in some makes her a natural old woman - also a kind of duality.
Until now, women in such mesalliances were on the screen if not positive, then at least understandable to a wide audience of characters. In this case, it's a little more complicated. We have somehow gotten used to the fact that these men are selfish and abusive. The only question is who has the power.
It's deft, incredibly beautiful, and there's a lot to think about. There are many social contradictions and hidden sub-themes. Quite harmless and even banal in the first part. And completely traumatic in the second.
In general, you need to watch, if you are not a prude. And if a prude, I remind you - this is a classic antique plot.
' Queen of Hearts' - a typical Scandinavian art house of the Danish sample from Mai el-Tuki.
The film tells about a family consisting of a wife (Anna), a husband (Peter), their two daughters, to whom the husband's son (Gustav) moves from Sweden from his first marriage. First, the creators show us what helps to reveal the characters, and quite skillfully. Anna is a successful lawyer (helps victims of violence), a good psychologist, but too impulsive that sometimes plays a cruel joke, and also has an unhealthy desire to be right, not compromise even with her husband. Peter is a successful doctor. He believes that in some cases, the wife should be more conciliatory.
I repeat, it takes a lot of time to reveal the characters in the picture. It is necessary that the whole situation does not look fictional, and the relationship between Anna and Gustav does not seem implausible. Actually, after the emergence of this vicious passion, the main events begin to develop ' Queens of Hearts'.
What's this movie about? What do the creators mean? ' Layers ' of course, many, but the main two. It's not children's fault that adults are creatures. No matter how the situation with Gustav develops, the children will suffer. You have to sacrifice either the family (girls) or Gustav. And that's terrible.
Second layer. Anna's moral degradation. The creators argue what people are willing to go to to save their soft spot. All the negative qualities of the heroine, partially hidden earlier, manifest themselves in a critical situation. We see that Anna is a selfish person, used to indulge in everything. At least once she said that ' that's it ' because of her! In the course are techniques that were used against victims of violence, which the heroine protects, manipulation, for example. Anna doesn't feel guilty. The more interesting is to see how the environment reacts to what is happening.
The film is exemplary Scandinavian (in a good way). Nice cold tones are more suitable than ever, because the feelings in the family of heroes are also cold. I really liked the minimalist soundtrack, rarely but aptly. Aesthetically, everything is pleasant, aesthetically, the film is very, very pleasant to watch. In addition, the narrative keeps the viewer in suspense almost to the very end.
Actors. Trine Durholm’s amazing game is a long time to watch. She is very good and the role is difficult. The game of Magnus Krepper and Gustav Linda also does not cause complaints.
' Queen of Hearts' - Arthouse, of course. But, in my opinion, it can be safely (and should be) seen by an unprepared viewer. The movie is great, smart, emotional.