![]() ![]() If that element isn’t clear from the start because of the smiling postcoital faces on Anne and Gustav, it’s made perfectly obvious when exposure is threatened, and Anne turns into an unforgivably cruel protector of her comfortable life at the expense of an emotionally ill-equipped kid under her care.Įl-Toukhy’s taut, Sirk-via-Lupino direction of her script is a confident mapping of this melodrama’s fault lines, marked by the formidable tension of her scenes and her framing of the characters against their environment. The tricky brilliance of “Queen of Hearts” is in how el-Toukhy uses a well-worn narrative - the unsuspecting, hidden passion with the appearance of erotic freedom - to unveil what in reality is a poisonous tale of abuse. It’s a well-intended authority move but with unfortunate consequences when Anne becomes attracted to her stepson, then seduces him. Gustav is good with the girls but he also stages a burglary to steal from the house, which Anne, deploying her mom-as-attorney abilities, discovers and uses as leverage to convince Gustav to step up as a family member. When the couple take in Peter’s estranged, surly teenage son Gustav (Gustav Lindh) from a prior relationship, there’s an adjustment period even for this capable couple. More films from women, and starring women, means more stories about complicated women, and that’s what’s captivatingly on display in filmmaker May el-Toukhy’s domestic drama “Queen of Hearts,” Denmark’s submission for this year’s Oscar for best international feature film.Ī peek inside the luxuriously modern country home of formidable lawyer Anne ( Trine Dyrholm) and physician husband Peter ( Magnus Krepper) would suggest this is a do-gooder pair’s serene refuge: for their cheery twin daughters, for the occasional party hosting their liberal-minded friends and, when necessary, for one of Anne’s clients - typically a young victim of domestic violence - who might need temporary shelter.
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