Finnish director Mika Kaurismaki's The Girl King tells the fascinating, bizarrely true story of Kristina, Queen of Sweden. Born to a doting father and mad mother in 1626, thought to be a boy, Christina was dropped down the stairs as a baby, declared queen at the age of six, forced to kiss goodnight the embalmed corpse of her father for two years, raised and educated as a boy, and formally crowned at 18. And that's just the first five minutes worth of backstory - some incredible exposition that is understandably too good to exclude, but sadly somewhat awkwardly rushed over.
The story of Christina's reign, however, is equally fascinating. Forward thinking in every way, she was intent on bringing sophistication and knowledge to her empire of so-called peasants. She challenged the harsh divide between the Catholics and stoic Lutheran Protestants of her day and subverted all expectations placed on her as a woman and heir-baring queen. The film touches on her crusade to end the Thirty Years' War, her obsessive collection of books and rare manuscripts and her friendship with French Philosopher Rene Descartes, but focuses on the conspiracy that would try to convert her to Catholicism, and her quietly scandalous affair with her lady in waiting, Countess Ebba Sparre.
If production values suffer somewhat under a tight budget, the filmmakers do their best with minimalist sets and evocative costumes. Though the precise stakes and details of the political and religious intrigue occasionally get lost in the pacing, it is more than made up for by the mercurial, imposing presence of Malin Buska as Christina; an unapologetically curious, highly intelligent and fiercely independent Queen who grew only more defiant as time passed, but also a troubled, lonely woman sometimes brimming with passion to the edge of insanity. The rest of the cast, including Michael Nyqvist and Sarah Gadon is equally committed and convincing, although one can't help wondering if they would pack a more powerful punch had they performed in their native Swedish, rather than English and French.
Invoking memories of Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth - a Queen whose defiance reportedly made an impression on a young Christina - but lacking some of that film's atmosphere and intensity, The Girl King is nonetheless a handsome period piece and an intriguing character study that seeks to capture a glimpse of a fascinating woman with a uniquely particular reign and legacy.
