Queen of Hearts (2019 film)
Queen of Hearts () is a 2019 Danish drama film directed by May el-Toukhy, and starring Trine Dyrholm, and Gustav Lindh. It was selected as the Danish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film won the 2019 Nordic Council Film Prize. Plot. Anne is a lawyer working on the prosecution of a rape case. She is married to a physician, Peter, and they have two daughters, Frida and Fanny. Peter's teenage son from his past marriage is Gustav, who lives in Sweden  with his mother Rebecca. The family plans for Gustav to move in with Anne and Peter. Gustav arrives but begins to conflict with Peter, pushing for the right to move out on his own despite being a minor. One day, Anne returns home to find there has been a break-in and burglary. The incident is reported to the police, but afterwards Anne finds an item in Gustav's laundry that was in her bag, stolen during the break-in. She realizes he was responsible for the robbery and confronts Gustav with the evidence. However, Anne promises to keep the  matter a secret if Gustav does his part in the household. Time passes and one night, Gustav brings his girlfriend Amanda home. Anne hears the couple having sex and is aroused. Peter and Anne entertain guests on their balcony, but Anne leaves the group to take Gustav to a bar. There, she kisses him. Later, she enters his bedroom and the two have sex. The two begin a sexual relationship; during which, Gustav interviews Anne, asking her various questions including about her first sexual relationship. Anne says it was with someone she should not have had sex with, but she  does not want to talk about it. The family celebrates Frida and Fanny's birthday. When Anne and Gustav step away, Gustav kisses her. A guest, Anne's sister Lina, witnesses the encounter and upset, leaves the party. Anne fears Lina will tell Peter, and breaks off her relationship with Gustav. Gustav and Peter leave to spend time at their cabin; Peter returns and tells Anne that Gustav wants to go to a boarding school, and accuses Gustav and Anne of having an affair. Anne angrily denies the accusation, saying Gustav hates her for ending Peter and Rebecca's marriage . She also tells Peter Gustav was responsible for the burglary. Anne, Peter, and Gustav then sit down together, where Anne continues to deny the affair. Gustav threatens to report Anne for the affair, but she replies he is not a credible witness. Gustav is kicked out of the house but later goes missing from his school. A hunter discovers Gustav's body near the cabin, where he froze to death. Production. In reference to the sex scenes, Trine Dyrholm said, "We had the first meeting about the nude scenes very early on with both the producer and the director. They  told us what they had in mind. And we agreed that you could go to the producer along the way if there was something someone didn't want to go along with. We were even sent storyboard illustrations of the scene frame by frame, and the prosthetics that would be used were made. I would almost compare working on nude scenes here to working on a stunt scene. When you have to do that kind of scene, it's always a bit awkward, but because it was such a safe working space and everything was agreed in advance, it worked ." Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of based on reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Led by an exceptional performance from Trine Dyrholm, "Queen of Hearts" is a bold and uncompromising look at the darkness that can lie within family, directed with formidable skill by May El-Toukhy." Especially Dyrholm's performance was praised. Guy Lodge of "Variety" magazine called it "[A] sleek, engrossing melodrama..." The film won nine Robert Awards, including Best Danish Film. It also won four Bodil Awards, including Best Danish Film.