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What separates a good character drama from a great character drama is a film that actually places the character in a very particular context — a place, a culture, a group of people — so we understand what constraints and opportunities they're responding to.

In this episode, Alex talks about how Magnus von Horn's The Girl with the Needle exemplifies this definition of a great character drama. In fact, it's one of the best movies of 2024. It's a film that's as about the complex characters at its centre as the world that produced them and pushed them to behave in the way they do.

Then, Alex talks to director von Horn about how we crafted the world around the characters.

Set in Copenhagen during/after WWI, The Girl with the Needle follows Karoline in her quest for upward mobility when she finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy desperate for a solution. Enter Dagmar, who provides an enticing solution and becomes her new employer. But is Dagmar's promise as simple and sweet as it sounds?

Related Episodes:

Ep 101. Magnus von Horn's The Here After and Sweat

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