The Horrifying True Story Behind Denmark’s Oscar Entry The Girl with the Needle

As a film enthusiast with a penchant for unraveling the complexities of human nature and societal norms, I find “The Girl with the Needle” to be an intriguingly crafted masterpiece. The movie’s exploration of post-WW1 Denmark, particularly the dark underbelly that gave birth to a serial killer like Dagmar Overbye, is a fascinating journey into the past.

In Denmark, many individuals are familiar with the essential details of the chilling real-life tale that serves as the foundation for the recently released movie titled “The Girl with the Needle“.

From 1915 to 1920, a woman residing in Copenhagen, Dagmar Overbye, proposed to accept unwanted infants for a charge, assuring the mothers that they were heading to a caring home. However, it was uncovered that she actually murdered these babies. Eventually, Overbye was apprehended and sentenced to capital punishment in 1921.

In their movie (now accessible in the U.S. through MUBI), Screenwriter Line Langebek and director Magnus von Horn opted against a straightforward retelling of a serial killer’s narrative, instead aiming to present a unique tale that Denmark has submitted for consideration in the international film category as part of Oscar competition.

Von Horn explains, “Her actions speak volumes about the society she was part of during her time.” He adds, “She wasn’t abducting infants to murder them. Instead, women brought their babies to her. We aimed to explore this intriguing aspect of her world.

As I delve deeper into the captivating world of this cinematic masterpiece, it’s Trine Dyrholm’s character, So Overbye, who makes a memorable entrance approximately halfway through. The film, beautifully framed in stark black and white, is a visual feast for the eyes.

for a fee, he vows to locate an adoptive family. After Karoline gives birth, she surrenders the baby to Overbye, but instead of parting ways, Karoline clings to this enigmatic older woman who appears to perform acts of kindness. Believing her child is living in comfort with a prosperous family, Karoline becomes Overbye’s assistant and they establish an unhealthy bond.

Initially, the true identity under scrutiny was believed to be involved in the murder of as many as 26 helpless infants, and ultimately found guilty for taking the lives of eight. Her primary reason behind these heinous acts appeared to be financial gain: She would receive payments from desperate mothers who relied on her to provide a suitable home for their children.

A fairy tale based in fact

In the movie, Karoline is depicted as the woman who led the police to Overbye’s residence in order to retrieve her child. However, Von Horn and Langebek chose to embellish her story for artistic purposes, extending her time with Overbye before she was apprehended. When Karoline, the film character, returns to Dagmar’s door, she is drawn into Overbye’s sphere of influence, serving as a wet nurse for him instead. Van Horn describes the movie as being similar to a “fairy tale.

Ultimately, she wonders if she’s transforming into Dagmar or not, according to von Horn. ‘How can an ordinary individual get so close to being a double or a trainee destined to succeed?’

Horn and Langeback conducted comprehensive studies involving the acquisition of a 122-page transcript from the Overbye court case archived nationally in Denmark, as well as examining images of the stove where authorities found Overbye’s infant remains. The chilling photographs, as described by Horn, played a significant role in the design process. However, they were also intrigued by the broader context that shaped an individual like Dagmar. Post-WWI Copenhagen was densely populated and it was relatively easy for people to vanish without a trace. To delve deeper into this era, they consulted historian Pia Fris Laneth.

According to von Horn, it’s not only the manner in which she describes her method of disposing of corpses that is concerning, but also the fact that people seemed unbothered by finding things like bodies in the river or babies being discarded in trash bins indicates a lack of care and responsibility.

After the war, Denmark implemented a citizen ID numbering system, which significantly increased difficulty for individuals to disappear, as noted by Langeback.

“That became in a way part of the tapestry,” she says.

Disturbingly human

In the movie, the character of Overbye shown on screen is significantly older than the actual woman played by Dyrholm, who was in her 50s during filming while Overbye was around 30 when the events occurred. Overbye was also known for her habitual lying and lack of organization compared to Dyrholm’s portrayal. However, as depicted in the film, she had multiple miscarriages before eventually having a daughter. In the movie, Erena (Avo Knox Martin) is portrayed as a blonde young girl whom Karoline takes care of like a surrogate mother.

In this revised script, characters like Karoline and Overbye, struggling with poverty and resorting to questionable actions to survive, serve to humanize Dagmar by highlighting shared experiences and struggles, making her seem more relatable and complex.

According to Langeback, there’s another account of this tale where Dagmar is depicted as a beastly figure, yet the story we are familiar with is about the notorious serial killer.

And yet starting and ending the film with Overbye did not feel “morally defendable” to von Horn. 

“There is something psychopathic about that we can’t deny about Dagmar,” he says. “Making a story where she’s the main character, you would always be at a distance.” 

To that end, The Girl with the Needle ends on a moment of optimism for both Karoline and Overbye. 

As a film enthusiast, I’d rephrase it this way: “Unless Karoline manages to transform these oppressive and violent spirals into a force for good, the story wouldn’t ring true. She persists in changing her own life, and eventually, she not only uplifts herself but also extends a helping hand to someone else.” (von Horn suggests this in his interpretation.)

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2024-12-06 17:08