Review: A Royal Affair (2012)

Given my own current love affair with actor Mad Mikkelsen (thanks to Hannibal, naturally), when I saw A Royal Affair pop up on my Netflix and realized that he was one of the lead actors in it, it became essential to watch.  This Dutch language film did not disappoint in the least.  Though I started out knowing nothing about the history behind this film, I left not only entertained, but a bit smarter, which is always a bonus.

The movie follows the story of King Christian VII of Denmark (Mikkel Folsgaard), his bride Caroline (Alicia Vikander) and the appointed royal physician Struensee (Mikkelsen).  The king is a bit mad, so his wife isn't too happy with him.  In the end she ends up having an affair with Struensee, which is the meat and bones of the story.  But what the story really explores is the convoluted nature of the royal court, the conflict between idealism and practical ruling and the hypocrisy that one can be driven to for both love and idealism.

As Struensee comes into the court, he is forced to deal with the very people that he, as a promoter of enlightenment, dislikes.  As his influence grows with the mad Christian VII, he gains more and more power.  Eventually, he influences the king to start tossing out the old, Medieval ways and implementing more liberal policies.  This naturally creates many enemies for both king and advisor.  Everything may have gone on fine for old Struensee, but he falls in love with the queen and begins their affair.  This gives ammunition for the opposition and in the end it does not work out well for anyone involved.

A Royal Affair, though it follows real life events, focuses less on the particulars of history and more on the complex world that Struensee has found himself brought into.  He starts as an idealist and even though he retains most of his idealistic views throughout the film, he begins to compromise for the sake of his own goals.  The king, at first pitied by him and considered a friend, ends up being nothing more than a hindrance.  He succumbs to treating him just as his previous cabinet had, as a mindless child.  Despite the knowledge that his affair could destroy everything he’s worked for, he still continues it.  Struensee is a fish out of water, unable to cope with the demands of etiquette and propriety within the realm of the court.

Though Mikkelsen and Vikander do excellent jobs with their acting, it’s Folsgaard that ends up stealing the show.  His performance as mad King Christian is absolutely amazing.  He ranges from simple to incredibly observant, befriending Struensee and refusing to let him go even when he his told face-to-face about the affair.  To him, someone he can trust is everything.  We see a great deal of emotion in Folsgaard and there’s a good reason that he earned a nomination for best actor from the Berlin International Film Festival.

The movie as a whole is slow-moving, as most historical dramas tend to be, but enjoyable.  It received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and currently holds a solid 89 percent with Rotten Tomatoes.  If you’re a fan of historical dramas (or of Mikkelsen), this is one for the list.

A Royal Affair poster courtesy of comingsoon.net