Principal photography for Darling gets under way
- Danica Curcic and Gustaf Skarsgård star in Danish director Birgitte Stærmose’s ballet drama, now shooting in Sweden and Denmark
After having directed three episodes of TV2 Denmark’s Norskov drama series, Danish director Birgitte Stærmose has this week (2 May) started principal photography for her second feature, Darling [+see also:
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Scripted by Danish screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson, who also delivered the screenplay for Stærmose’s 2011 debut, Room 304 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the ballet drama is toplined by Danish actress Danica Curcic, who last year pocketed both Danish film awards – the Robert and the Bodil – for her performance in Bille August’s Silent Heart [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].
The cast of the Louise Vesth, Marie Gade Denessen and Peter Aalbæk Jensen production for Zentropa Entertainments, Zentropa Sweden and Film Väst includes Sweden’s Gustaf Skarsgård, and Denmark’s Ulrich Thomsen, Astrid Grarup Elbo and Solbjørg Højfeldt.
Curcic had to make a virtually physical transformation to get ready for the part as Darling, the world-famous prima ballerina who returns to Copenhagen with her choreographer husband, Frans (Skarsgård), to stage the classic ballet Giselle at the Danish Royal Theatre. But at one of the first rehearsals, disaster strikes: Darling collapses in pain – her hip is worn out, which means her career is finished and her world is in ruins.
Frans has never worked without Darling before, but he now finds himself depending on the very young dancer Polly (Grarup Elbo); Darling tries to help out by training Polly, but as she starts to blossom as Giselle, Darling’s world crumbles, and now she is heading for the abyss. In short, it is “a moving drama about a woman riding the rollercoaster of her own life, and about the courage to get up again when everything is over”.
Nordisk Film Biografdistribution has scheduled the Scandinavian premiere for 27 April 2017, while Danish international sales agency TrustNordisk is handling foreign distribution.
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