34/28
Copenhagen 1919: A young worker is unemployed and pregnant
She meets Dagmar, who runs an illegal adoption agency. A strong bond grows, but her world falls apart when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work. Official Denmark submission for the “Best International Feature Film” category of the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. It’s the final days of WWI and Karoline is barely getting by working in a factory.
When was the rampant drug use of that time period portrayed so openly?
She believes herself to be a widow since her husband disappeared during the war (though Denmark didn’t actually participate) but doesn’t receive widows benefits because he isn’t listed as dead. A lot happens throughout the film and I don’t want to go into spoilers so I won’t go into detail about the plot other than to say that the marketing highlights something that doesn’t play as big a role in the film As one might expect, this grabs a lot of attention in the second half of the film, for me the real value of the film lies in the sense of reality surrounding Karoline’s story. When was the last time someone in a movie tried to convince a prospective renter to move into an apartment by telling them they could get running water for two hours a day (from ten to noon, which might not be a huge sell, period, since most people would be working during those hours)? Even what Dagmar does was relatively commonplace back then, though I suspect the trend was declining by that point and it wasn’t happening as much as it had before, if I had actually enjoyed the film more the marketing was different and Dagmar wasn’t mentioned because it set expectations.
While Dagmar is a main character, the film is clearly about Karoline and her hardships
On the other hand, it’s hard to say how I would have felt seeing the name Dagmar Overby on a door if I hadn’t known beforehand that this real person would be used in the film. (It should be noted that the film is inspired by real-life events and is not based on them, so an attempt is made to keep a certain distance from the real Dagmar. I have a feeling that some of the audience will find it difficult to sympathize with Karoline, as she sometimes seems to make the right decision a little too late. At the same time, there is not much time and opportunity for ethics when you are simply trying to survive in a world where the odds are stacked against you.
Have things really changed that much?
On the other hand, we know that the hope given to her is in vain, but we still understand why she gives in to it. I like the look of the film. It is black and white and the whole town seems run down and barely holding out. It reminds us of the lack of interest in the well-being of the working poor, or even contempt for them.
The time depicted is more than a century ago, but the concept of female body autonomy is once again under constant attack
Of course, all art is in some way a reflection of the time in which it was created, but it seems easier to see the similarities here.