14/13
Tale
Copenhagen 1919: A young working-class woman finds herself unemployed and pregnant. She meets Dagmar, who runs an underground adoption agency. A strong connection blossoms, but her world is shattered when she stumbles upon the shocking truth behind her work. Denmark’s official submission for the “Best International Feature Film” category at the 97th Academy Awards in 2025. I liked the promise that society would be revealed as the real monster, rather than the people it destroys. However, telling the story through a character who is purely a victim distances the film from that goal. It’s not a social critique when all the evil is concentrated in a single villain, while everyone else is excused due to their good intentions. Rather, it should have shown how, in such a brutal context, villainy and compassion are not so easily distinguishable. The tone was also a bit odd – more melancholic than anything else – leaving the viewer indifferent to what was happening on screen.