I don't suppose for one moment that 'The girl king' entirely corresponds to known historical records, or the most reasonable approximation that researchers can reach. But it is immediately engaging, and entertaining, with swell performances.
Historical fiction is a wondrous genre. To seize on particular events or figures, and most typically further hone in on specific characteristics thereof, allows for more concrete storytelling - though also may especially risk running afoul of historical accuracy. And then there's the inevitable question of how well the narrative stands on its own merits.
This much is certain: Queen Christina had very particular ideas about life, Sweden, and her rule. She was nonconformist, even, in her interests and ideals, and faced great opposition from many angles. 'The girl king' excels as it conveys these notions about her character. Where it succeeds, much credit lies with Michel Marc Bouchard's screenplay, certainly. Mika Kaurismäki's direction is very capable, but it's the writing here, I think, that truly captures the spirit. The film centers Christina, and the portrayal is written as very dynamic and believably lifelike.
And where the film succeeds is also absolutely to the credit of star Malin Buska. She bears distinct poise in her stature, and a pointed assertiveness in her delivery, that gives Christina an astounding willfulness and force of personality. I immediately want to find more of her films to watch; if 'The girl king' focused even more on her, specifically, it may well have benefited.
Moreover, particularly with that spotlight, some obvious themes are presented. This is a movie that puts across readily apparent notions, through Christina's beliefs and struggles, of feminism; gender nonconformity; pursuit of one's aspirations, and perseverance thereof; rejection of dogma, tradition, and norms; and elevating and encouraging others. Further, there's a sense of acknowledgement of and support for science, education, queerness generally and sapphic love specifically, and broadly upending expectations.
There's a lot that 'The girl king' wants to say, do, and be - after all, Christina was an interesting, complex, complicated person. That ambition is tempered somewhat by the fact that we're watching a picture about people in highborn classes, and by the rigidity of a time and place that was locked in conflict between competing, deeply restrictive, and unyielding religious doctrines.
The greatest difficulty with this movie, though, is simply an issue familiar to plenty of other works of historical fiction. How does one condense 22 years of sovereignty into a 100-minute feature? Christina's general disdain for gender norms are specifically noted at the beginning of the movie--but then not again until the end. Christina's immediate interest in Countess Ebba Sparre (Sarah Gadon, demure but delightful) is given progressively greater screen time - yet we still get more scenes of supporting characters discussing that burgeoning relationship, and their concerns about it, than we do scenes of Christina and the Countess together. And even this is then subsumed as the plot swings toward the queen's personal interests or governmental hopes, or clashes with advisers or prominent religious figures, or an underlying conspiracy, or, or, or.
And so it goes: foci of the narrative come and go, or are mentioned then dropped quickly, to make room for others. To be sure, most movies try to cram a similar variety of aspects. Here, it just feels like nothing is given adequate time in the screenplay to be fully developed. There's an ongoing sense of something missing.
I like 'The girl king.' I love Buska's performance, and the way Christina is written here. However speculative or historically accurate it may or may not be, I think the movie does a good job of stirring interest in such a multifaceted figure. It just seems like the picture tries to do too much with not enough time.
With the caveat that it's not entirely fulfilling, 'The girl king' is enjoyable, and keeps us watching to the end. I think it's worth watching, bearing in mind simply that the portrait we get of Christina, Queen of Sweden, is inevitably incomplete.
Historical fiction is a wondrous genre. To seize on particular events or figures, and most typically further hone in on specific characteristics thereof, allows for more concrete storytelling - though also may especially risk running afoul of historical accuracy. And then there's the inevitable question of how well the narrative stands on its own merits.
This much is certain: Queen Christina had very particular ideas about life, Sweden, and her rule. She was nonconformist, even, in her interests and ideals, and faced great opposition from many angles. 'The girl king' excels as it conveys these notions about her character. Where it succeeds, much credit lies with Michel Marc Bouchard's screenplay, certainly. Mika Kaurismäki's direction is very capable, but it's the writing here, I think, that truly captures the spirit. The film centers Christina, and the portrayal is written as very dynamic and believably lifelike.
And where the film succeeds is also absolutely to the credit of star Malin Buska. She bears distinct poise in her stature, and a pointed assertiveness in her delivery, that gives Christina an astounding willfulness and force of personality. I immediately want to find more of her films to watch; if 'The girl king' focused even more on her, specifically, it may well have benefited.
Moreover, particularly with that spotlight, some obvious themes are presented. This is a movie that puts across readily apparent notions, through Christina's beliefs and struggles, of feminism; gender nonconformity; pursuit of one's aspirations, and perseverance thereof; rejection of dogma, tradition, and norms; and elevating and encouraging others. Further, there's a sense of acknowledgement of and support for science, education, queerness generally and sapphic love specifically, and broadly upending expectations.
There's a lot that 'The girl king' wants to say, do, and be - after all, Christina was an interesting, complex, complicated person. That ambition is tempered somewhat by the fact that we're watching a picture about people in highborn classes, and by the rigidity of a time and place that was locked in conflict between competing, deeply restrictive, and unyielding religious doctrines.
The greatest difficulty with this movie, though, is simply an issue familiar to plenty of other works of historical fiction. How does one condense 22 years of sovereignty into a 100-minute feature? Christina's general disdain for gender norms are specifically noted at the beginning of the movie--but then not again until the end. Christina's immediate interest in Countess Ebba Sparre (Sarah Gadon, demure but delightful) is given progressively greater screen time - yet we still get more scenes of supporting characters discussing that burgeoning relationship, and their concerns about it, than we do scenes of Christina and the Countess together. And even this is then subsumed as the plot swings toward the queen's personal interests or governmental hopes, or clashes with advisers or prominent religious figures, or an underlying conspiracy, or, or, or.
And so it goes: foci of the narrative come and go, or are mentioned then dropped quickly, to make room for others. To be sure, most movies try to cram a similar variety of aspects. Here, it just feels like nothing is given adequate time in the screenplay to be fully developed. There's an ongoing sense of something missing.
I like 'The girl king.' I love Buska's performance, and the way Christina is written here. However speculative or historically accurate it may or may not be, I think the movie does a good job of stirring interest in such a multifaceted figure. It just seems like the picture tries to do too much with not enough time.
With the caveat that it's not entirely fulfilling, 'The girl king' is enjoyable, and keeps us watching to the end. I think it's worth watching, bearing in mind simply that the portrait we get of Christina, Queen of Sweden, is inevitably incomplete.