Alt Weekly: ‘A Royal Affair’ and More

Welcome back to Alt Weekly, a column in which we shine a spotlight on the independent films brave enough to open opposite Hollywood’s behemoth blockbusters before rolling out in wider release.

This week, monarchs and mutant hoodlums take on Bond, James Bond, in “Skyfall.”

‘CITADEL’

Filmmaker Cred: Writer-director Ciaran Foy’s feature debut.

Star Power: Not really.

Festival/Awards Buzz: This thriller premiered at South by Southwest last March and went on to win the Midnight Audience Award there. Our review can be found right here.

Release Details: Only NY this Friday, but expanding to LA next week and these cities after that.

See This If… You’re not too jumpy for an agoraphobic thriller about a young man, his young son and some very feral locals.

‘THE COMEDY’

Filmmaker Cred: Director/co-writer Rick Alverson previously directed 2011's “New Jerusalem.”

Star Power: Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (“Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie”), LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, Gregg Turkington (better known as intentionally wretched stand-up comedian Neil Hamburger).

Festival/Awards Buzz: This film earned walk-outs at its Sundance premiere. Read our review to understand why.

Release Details: In addition to already being available On Demand, it will open in these select theaters this weekend.

See This If… You’re a fan of humor that makes you cringe, and you’re not easily offended.

‘IN THEIR SKIN’

Filmmaker Cred: This marks Jeremy Regimbal’s directorial debut.

Star Power: Selma Blair, James D’Arcy.

Festival/Awards Buzz: Our own Eric D. Snider was a fan of this thriller out of the Tribeca Film Festival last spring, when it was known as “Replicas.” Read his review here.

Release Details: At the IFC Center this weekend, and already available On Demand.

See This If… You’re in the mood for a creepy home-invasion thriller.

‘NATURE CALLS’

Filmmaker Cred: Writer-director Todd Rohal previously brought us “The Catechism Cataclysm.”

Star Power: Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O’Neal in his last film role.

Festival/Awards Buzz: The response to this camping comedy was understandably mixed out of SXSW.

Release Details: In NY/LA theaters this Friday, and it’s currently available On Demand.

See This If… Cursing kids are all it takes to get a giggle.

‘A ROYAL AFFAIR’

Filmmaker Cred: Director Nikolaj Arcel has a storied Danish film career but has yet to really cross over to Stateside audiences.

Star Power: Mads Mikkelsen is best known as the villain from “Casino Royale,” while Alicia Vikander is already earning acclaim for her supporting turn in this month’s “Anna Karenina.”

Festival/Awards Buzz: This historical drama premiered at Berlin last February and has gone on to earn overwhelmingly positive reviews. We gave it an A-.

Release Details: These theaters in NY, LA and Chicago this week, before expanding in the coming weeks.

See This If… You love 18th-century love in all its loveliness.

Categories: Alt Weekly, Columns

Tags: A Royal Affair, alicia vikander, alt weekly, ciaran foy, Citadel, in their skin, james d'arcy, Johnny Knoxville, Mads Mikkelsen, Nature Calls, nikolaj arcel, patton oswalt, replicas, rick alverson, Selma Blair, The Comedy, Tim Heidecker, todd rohal, Nature Calls, Replicas, The Comedy, A Royal Affair, Citadel, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Selma Blair, Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O'Neal, Mads Mikkelsen

Review: ‘A Royal Affair’ Is Elegant Business

“A Royal Affair” is a beautifully composed, lyrical film that entirely devotes itself to authenticity in its characters, to the beauty and tranquility of royal wealth and grandeur, and to the birth of Denmark as a fully realized country with an informed populace. The last one may not feel as interesting as the other two, and yet “A Royal Affair” makes it matter by working tirelessly to balance the various components of plot, image and meaning, and does so quite nicely.

The chronicle of 18th century Denmark’s transition from oppressed country to enlightenment begins with the quiet English Princess Caroline (Alicia Vikander) shipped off to distant Denmark to marry King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). Though she is initially thrilled with her newfound status as queen, she’s less than pleased with her husband, the king. King Christian suffers mental illness of some sort and is uninterested in Caroline, tolerating her presence but preferring the company of whores and having fun over ruling his kingdom.

When a new royal physician, Johann Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), is appointed and becomes the king’s best friend, a torrid romance begins between the queen and the doctor. The doctor’s radical ideas take hold in the mind of the queen and those around them, and as they slowly seek to shape the future of Denmark through enlightened ideas and practices that benefit the people, their own future hangs in the balance as well.

“A Royal Affair” is a well-crafted period Danish drama, which may throw viewers with a distaste for subtitles, but there’s a great deal to enjoy about the film, from the beautiful costumes to the exceptional score, penned by Gabriel Yared. Fans of the elegant details of period films will delight in the gorgeous landscapes, the period accurate setting and the rich historical content, which push “A Royal Affair” from a confectionery bon mot into something a little meatier.

The story is intriguing though perhaps not enthralling, we’re not given much insight into the history of the Enlightenment or why it matters so vividly to Dr. Struensee that the people are given more freedom and rights. The film is also quite long, though it doesn’t seem so, clocking in at nearly two hours and twenty minutes. The world that director Nikolaj Arcel has created bears up under that much scrutiny, and though the film could perhaps lose about twenty minutes, it is pleasant enough to dwell in and never drags on for too long. Perhaps the one major misstep may be the title, which is terrible, all sordid pomp and vaguely implied lechery.

Relative newcomer Mikkel Boe Følsgaard deserves special recognition for his studied and elegant performance of King Christian, balancing his mental instability and powerlessness with a personality that comes alive with attention and care. Mads Mikkelsen is the anchoring point of the film, the place where every other character finds strength and purpose, the sun around which the world of Denmark revolved, if only for a time. Christian is childish and given to chasing whims, and it is the presence of Streunsee that calms and focuses him, though even as Struensee genuinely likes the king, he too eventually begins to fall prey to the seductive nature of power.

Another newcomer to American cinema, Alicia Vikander is already making waves in both this film as well as for her turn in the upcoming Joe Wright film “Anna Karenina.” Vikander is blessed with a beauty that lingers in the mind, her face capable of showing what it is not necessary to explain with words. As Queen Caroline, Vikander carries the plot in her pocket, and it’s fascinating to see a young actress on the cusp of her breakthrough, and exciting to know we’ll see more of her.

It’s easy to understand why the film is Denmark’s official entry in the Foreign Language Film category of the 85th Academy Awards, the dynamic of revolutionary influence elevates the film from merely a beautiful period piece to a more fully realized story that also carries with it a heady romantic quality. We are drawn undeniably to well-crafted beauty, power wielded for good and romance built upon authenticity, and “A Royal Affair” has all three in bounds.

‘A Royal Affair’ begins a limited release run on Nov. 2, 2012

Grade: A-

Categories: Reviews

Tags: A Royal Affair, alicia vikander, Mads Mikkelsen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, A Royal Affair