A Royal Affair

This has to be one of the best films I've seen in a long time (and I watched 'Bridget Jones' & 'Fantastic Mr Fox' the other day, so that's saying something!) I didn't really know anything about it, except that it was "similar to 'The Duchess', but in Denmark". I love historical romances like 'The Duchess' (starring Keira Knightley & Dominic Cooper), and 'Young Victoria', so was quite excited, but definitely not prepared for what lay ahead... Firstly, I had no idea the film was actually in Danish, and at first really didn't like the idea of having to read the subtitles for 2 and a half hours. But after about 10 minutes I just completely forgot I was reading anything, the story & acting was so engrossing. Secondly, 'The Duchess' was a poor comparison; it absolutely beat it! The story was so tragically brilliant, and I felt torn between sympathy/anger/compassion/hope for the lead characters. A young Queen is married to an insane Danish King, who in turn is treated by a town physician. Gradually the Queen and Physician grow closer through their mutual thirst for reformation and freedom for the Danish people, whilst the King's condition worsens. Their relationship is threatened by both his and her positions, as well as their hunger for change. Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen were an incredible pairing, whilst Mikkel Boe Folsgaard's interpretation of the insane King was completely convincing. I've just finished my AS history course on the French Revolution (zzz), and lots of the reforms & movements like the Enlightenment which we studied were shown in the film so I found that side of it really interesting too. I'd definitely recommend this film; I think the fact I didn't know any of the actors helped, as I can never really see past the fact it's Keira Knightley in 'The Duchess', whereas in 'A Royal Affair' you're completely absorbed. The soundtrack is beautiful and really moving too, which definitely enhanced the film. (Also there's an adorable dog called Gourmand which I know want to adopt...) Enjoy!
Trailer :-)