Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Trine Dyrholm, Søren Malling, Jakob Oftebro
Intro:
... plot-heavy, but many scenes are so well-played and the general atmosphere so broodingly authentic, that the film succeeds royally.
A war time drama about the battle for succession in 14th Century Denmark doesn’t sound like a riveting watch, but skillful writing and acting gives the film real heft.
Director Charlotte Sieling has gone for the skulduggery and politics as much as the action. Few mass battle scenes to strain the budget, but a sense of violence and militarism, nonetheless. The film also looks great, with its grey-green palette showing the misty landscapes and ancient castles to great effect.
It also has a superb cast, many of whom will be familiar to lovers of Scandi Noir. Leading them, in every sense, is Trine Dyrholm who plays the eponymous Margrete. When we join the story, she is doing well as the Danish queen. As long held rivalries between Sweden and Norway and Denmark have been put aside, the region has enjoyed an era of relative peace and prosperity. However, such is the fractious nature of the alliance, that the battle for power and succession can easily erupt anew.
This is precisely what happens when a young man is introduced into the court, claiming to be the son and heir to Margrete’s throne. Given that his mother (allegedly) had him killed as an infant, the arrival of the young pretender throws all the cards up in the air.
Some of the power behind the throne rests with the scheming cleric Peder (a great performance from Søren Malling), who divides his time between supporting the queen and undermining her.
Watching everyone deciding which way to jump in this sea of shifting alliances draws us in. It is plot-heavy, but many scenes are so well-played and the general atmosphere so broodingly authentic, that the film succeeds royally.
Margrete: Queen of the North is an examination of the intricacies of power that Machiavelli would have been proud of; that it takes place in such a grimly-picturesque setting is a bonus.
