50/44
She meets Dagmar, who runs an underground adoption agency
Narrative
Copenhagen 1919: A young factory worker becomes unemployed and pregnant. A strong bond grows, but her world is shattered when she discovers the shocking truth behind her work.. Denmark’s official submission for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at the 97th Academy Awards 2025. It’s the final days of the Great War and Caroline is barely making ends meet working in a factory.
When was the rampant drug use of the era so openly portrayed?
She believes herself to be a widow because her husband disappeared during the war (even though Denmark was not actually involved), but she doesn’t get widow’s benefits because he is not listed as dead. A lot happens during the film and I don’t want to give away spoilers, so I won’t go into much detail about the plot except that the marketing highlights something that isn’t as big a part of the film as one might expect. While this gets a lot of attention in the second half of the film, for me the real value of the film is the sense of reality surrounding Caroline’s story. When was the last time someone in a movie tried to convince a potential tenant to take an apartment by telling them they could get running water for two full hours a day (from ten to noon, which may not be a sales pitch, because most people would be working during those hours)?
Although Dagmar is the main character, the movie is clearly about Karoline and her struggles
Even what Dagmar does was relatively common at the time, although I would hazard a guess that the trend was on the decline at this point and that it wasn’t happening as much as it used to. I might actually have enjoyed the movie more if the marketing had been different and Dagmar hadn’t been mentioned, because it set expectations. On the other hand, it’s hard to say how I would have felt seeing the name Dagmar Overby on the door if I hadn’t known in advance that this real person was used in the movie. (It should be noted that the movie is inspired by real-life events, not based on them, so they try to keep some distance from the real Dagmar.) I feel like some audiences will find it hard to sympathize with Karoline, as she sometimes seems to make the right decision just a little too late.
I like the look of the film
At the same time, there isn’t as much time or opportunity for ethics when you’re just trying to survive in a world where the odds are stacked against you. On the other hand, while we know that the hope she gives her wouldn’t be in vain in this world, we still understand why she gives up. It’s black and white, and the entire city seems to be run down and barely holding together. It reminds us of the lack of interest in welfare or even contempt for the working poor.
Have things really changed that much?
The time it’s describing happened over a century ago, but the concept of female bodily autonomy is under constant attack again. Of course, all art is in some way a mirror of the time in which it was created, but it seems easier to see the similarities here.