Credited cast: | |||
Danica Curcic | ... | Darling | |
Gustaf Skarsgård | ... | Frans | |
Ulrich Thomsen | ... | Kristian | |
Henrik Noël Olesen | ... | Proporty master | |
Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Aviad Arik Herman | ... | Dancer |
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Benjamin Buza | ... | Ballet dancer |
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Johanna Bystrom | ... | Dancer |
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Julie Carlsen | ... | Doctor |
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Lina Ekblad | ... | Dancer |
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Astrid Grarup Elbo | ... | Polly |
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Josefin Frankert | ... | Dancer |
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Maria Hammersson | ... | Dancer |
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Anthony B. Hardt | ... | American doctor |
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Daniel Hausenkamph | ... | Dancer |
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Robin Ivarsson | ... | Dancer |
Darling is a world-famous Danish ballerina. After a long absence, she and her husband Frans return to the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen to perform the classic ballet "Giselle". She will dance the title role with Frans as choreographer. During a rehearsal, Darling collapses in pain. Try as she may to deny it, the prognosis is clear: her hip is irreparably damaged. She will never dance again. Her professional life, her world, is in ruins. But Darling refuses to let go. She decides to train her replacement, a young ballerina named Polly, to make Polly the Giselle she can no longer be. But as Polly becomes the center of attention, of Frans' attention, Darling's emotional stability begins to unravel.
Just saw this film at the BFI film festival opening last Friday and I never took my eyes from the screen. Great female protagonist, easy to empathize with, and eminently watchable. The cinematography & costuming, the focus on close-in shots make the film compelling: I keep revisualising Darling with her fuzzy sweater, her paper thin shirts. The film draws you into her world, her drives, her hopes, but Franz and Polly are also sympathetic characters. And you definitely don't have to be interested in ballet to love this movie!