"Equally as political as it is romantic, aptly combining the two to create a really thought provoking piece of cinema..."

Nikolaj’s Arcel’s A Royal Affair is somewhat of a different offering to what we are usually exposed to from Danish cinema. Following the Dogme 95 movement, and the work of Lars von Trier, we often witness harsh, hard-hitting dramas and thrillers from Scandinavia – as it therefore comes as a breath of fresh air to see the other side to Danish cinema, in what is a brilliantly contemplative period drama.

Based on a real set of events, we follow the life of a young British Queen Caroline Mathilde, living in Denmark and married to the King Christian VII (Mikkel Bøe Folsgaard), who suffers from insanity. However, a way out of her hellish relationship with the self-self-absorbed and infantile King opens up, as she fall in love with his personal German physician Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen).

Struensee becomes more than merely a physician to the King and instead a best friend and political advisor. Struensee manages to manipulate the King into allowing him to be a minister in the Danish Government, as he abolishes the council of state and attempts to bring reform to the nation. However, his rise to political power takes place against his scandalous affair with the Queen, as he desperately attempts to hide his secret from the King.

It’s certainly refreshing to see royalty portrayed from a Danish perspective as so often we see period dramas done in Britain. It’s also intriguing to delve into a story that we know so little about, despite it’s notoriety in Denmark, and for such a incredible tale, we rely heavily on the performances of the leading trio and they all absolutely fantastic.

We are quite used to seeing Mikkelsen as a baddie – with his roles in The Three Musketeers and Casino Royale, yet he excels as the revolutionary Struensee. Despite his definite manipulation of the King, he does so for all of the right reasons and you can’t help but like and support him. Folsgaard also excels as the King, managing to portray a man with a mental illness with wonderful conviction, not overdoing it all. Christian is mischievous, obnoxious and crude, yet despite his naivety and insanity, he is enough of a buffoon that you root for the affair between Struensee and the Queen.

The film is equally as political as it is romantic, aptly combining the two to create a really thought provoking piece of cinema. However, Arcel does perhaps delve into the political aspects to the film more so than the romantic plot, becoming somewhat tedious in the process, as it would certainly benefit from finding more of a middle ground between the two.

It’s a fascinating tale told in a compelling fashion, and looks into a time and place I had previously known so little about. A Royal Affair has been a huge nationwide success in Denmark, and could well be a big hit in Britain. But I can’t help but feel that such triumph may come as a result of it’s quite British feel, giving it an accessibility that will see it go far.