A Royal Affair

It's established quite early on in Nikolaj Arcel's A Royal Affair that Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander) is now ensnared into a bad marriage to King Christian VII of Denmark (Mikkel Folsgaard). How? Simple. He barely shows any interest in her (or the country he's supposed to be ruling), he's very immature, and he's a man of unpredictable behavior (possibly because of a mental illness).

Enter Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), a German doctor who becomes Christian's personal physician. He's also a man of considerable logic; he even helps Christian with his reign of Denmark. It also isn't long before Caroline and Struensee get to know each other more...personally.

As I've said numerous times before, I'm not much for costume dramas. But what Arcel depicts isn't the standard stuffiness found in most films of this kind. Thanks to the vibrant characters and even more vibrant story, he makes A Royal Affair a film with themes very relatable to current events.

Oh, the eye for detail here is just stunning. Whether it be the simplicity of the cinematography or the lavish detail in Caroline's outfits, it's just something I simply must highlight. (I get like this with certain films.)

Anyway, A Royal Affair is an excellent film. There are many excellent things about it, but Mikkelsen's quiet performance definitely tops the list. Just the slight movement of his face says so much. (That to me is a key sign of a legit actor.)

My Rating: *****