Birthday Girl (2023 film)

Last updated

Birthday Girl
Directed by Michael Noer
Screenplay by
Starring
Running time
95 minutes
CountryDenmark
LanguagesDanish and English

Birthday Girl is a 2023 Danish thriller film directed by Michael Noer. The film follows a mother (Trine Dyrholm) and daughter (Flora Ofelia Hoffmann Lindahl) who grapple with the aftermath of a sexual assault while on a cruise ship.

Contents

Synopsis

Birthday Girl is a psychological thriller/drama that takes place over 3 days on a cruise ship bound for the Caribbean. 42-year-old Nanna takes her daughter Cille and Cille's best friend on the cruise to celebrate her daughter's 18th birthday. On the first night, Nanna and Cille get into a fight and Nanna goes off on her own, leaving the girls at the ship's nightclub. Early in the morning, Nanna is woken by the ship's crew who inform her that her daughter has been found sleeping on the deck of the ship. Cille informs her mother that she has no memory of the night before but that she believes she has been sexually assaulted.

Cast

Production

The script for Birthday Girl was written by Jesper Fink  [ Wikidata ] and Michael Noer, with the latter directing the film. [1] [2] Noer was inspired by an article he read about the number of cases of sexual assault occurring on cruise ships, where they are in international waters. [3] The film was produced by Matilda Appelin  [ Wikidata ] and René Ezra  [ Wikidata ] of the Nordisk Film Production. Birthday Girl, which was produced for a budget of €3.5m, received financial backing from the Danish Film Institute, the Norwegian Film Institute and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. [2] The director of photography was Adam Wallensten  [ Wikidata ] and the editor was Jacob Thuesen  [ da ]. [1]

Birthday Girl was filmed in Estonia, receiving the Film Estonia cash rebate programme. [4] [5] [6] The film was shot at Tallinn Harbour, using the ships that were docked in the harbour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some scenes were shot at the Tallink Spa & Conference hotel and the Black Box Studio in Viimsi. Beginning on 16 March 2022, filming occurred over 24 days and wrapped in April 2022. [6] [7] The film employed more than 600 extras, with a 100-member production team on location. [6]

Release

In November 2022, TrustNordisk sold the rights in Germany, Austria and Switzerland to Plaion and in Benelux to Cherry Pickers. [2] Birthday Girl had its world premiere at the 2023 Zürich Film Festival. [8] [9] [10] The film was screened at the Gothenburg Film Festival in January 2024. [1] [11] It had its United States premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival the following month. [12] The film is due to be released in Denmark on April 4, 2024. [13]

Reception

The film was praised in a review by Tobias Åkesson of the Gothenburg Film Festival, who complimented the performances by Dyrholm and Hoffmann Lindahl. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Birthday Girl". Göteborg Film Festival (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Mitchell, Wendy (1 November 2022). "AFM first look: TrustNordisk seals new deals on 'Birthday Girl' starring Trine Dyrholm (exclusive)". Screen International . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Balaga, Marta (28 September 2023). "Trine Dyrholm Is a 'Bad Mom' on a Cruise Ship and Under Pressure in Michael Noer's 'Birthday Girl': 'That Lady Is a Survivor'". Variety . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Pham, Annika. "Trine Dyrholm joins Michael Noer's Birthday Girl picked up by TrustNordisk". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (2 May 2022). "Cannes: Danish Star Trine Dyrholm Joins 'Birthday Girl' From 'Papillon' Director". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 Priimagi, Tristan (29 March 2022). "Production: Danish/Norwegian/Estonian Birthday Girl Starts Shooting in Tallinn". Film New Europe . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (2 May 2022). "TrustNordisk sets sail with Michael Noer's 'Birthday Girl' starring Trine Dyrholm". Screen International . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "RESS RELEASE: 'BIRTHDAY GIRL' BY MICHAEL NOER SELECTED FOR ZÜRICH FILM FESTIVAL". Trust Nordisk. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  9. ↑ "Birthday Girl". Zurich Film Festival. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (17 August 2023). "Zurich: 'May December,' 'Nyad,' 'Pot-Au-Feu' Among Gala Premieres". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  11. ↑ "Six features from TrustNordisk catalogue selected for leading Festival in the Nordics". trustnordisk.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  12. ↑ "Press Release: Before it Ends, Birthday Girl and Mr Freeman selected for Santa Barbara International Film Festival". trustnordisk.com. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Michael Noer's Birthday Girl World premieres in Zurich". Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
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