Wherever you look when it comes to streamers in the UK, you’re bound to find a film or series starring the up-and-coming Danish star Vic Carmen Sonne.
On the BFI Player you’ll find her earlier hits, 2018’s Holiday and last year’s incredible Godland. On Amazon Prime, you’ll find her in Winter Brothers and Neon Heart, and over on Shudder you can see her in Azrael. Switch to Viaplay and you’ll find her in the brand new series Bullshit which is currently available in the UK, and will be available to the US in January. Finally, over on Netflix you’ll also find her in the thrilling Swedish drama series The Helicopter Heist.
How do you cap all of that off? Well, next year the now Golden Globe-nominated The Girl With The Needle will be screened by MUBI with a January cinema release. Her performance in Magnus Von Horn’s dark psychological thriller is simply outstanding and will stay with you long after viewing.
With Awards season just around the corner, we think that Vic Carmen Sonne might well be in the thoughts of those selecting the Best Actress category, with a nomination already at the recent European Film Awards.
Nordic Watchlist caught up with the star as she prepared for a busy weekend with the European Film Awards – catching her on a Zoom call as she relaxed in a cafe in Paris.
We begin by reflecting on her career, and it is clear that the actress has played a fascinating variation of roles dealing with all sorts of stories and genres – what is it that draws her to a role?
“I think it is as much to do with the connection to the film-makers as it is with the story. I like when I feel some sort of true excitement from their side“, the actress explains, “I want to work with the sort people who are passionate and want to be present and explore.”
If you look at the directors she has worked with so far you can tell that she clearly has great taste, with the likes of Isabella Eklöf (Holiday), Hlynur Pálmason (Godland and Winter Brothers), and not forgetting the fact she has worked with Lars Von Trier in the third series of The Kingdom).
As mentioned, on the Shudder platform you can see Vic’s first foray into the horror genre, in E.L. Katz’s Azrael. This wasn’t your average horror film, as almost the entirety of the film is without a spoken word. We follow its lead, Samara Weaving, trying to escape a female-led community which is headed up by Vic Carmen Sonne’s character, who wants to sacrifice her to an ancient evil in the woods. The director’s passion and enthusiasm behind the film’s project and genre sparked her interest in the role.
In the same month Azarel was released there was also Netflix’s The Helicopter Heist – a gripping series that re-enacts the historic bank heist that happened in Sweden. Vic plays one of the bank robber’s girlfriends who happens to work in the bank that the robbers are targeting.
Talking about the series, the actress talks about again about how interesting and exciting people drew her to the role: “I am particularly interested in these human beings – and that goes for the people behind the camera, as well as the characters whose world I get to explore.”
While working on the series the actress got to collaborate with a collective of directors, led by creator Ronnie Sandhal (Borg McEnroe), that included Daniel Espinosa (Snabba Cash), Jonas Alexander Arnby (Suicide Tourist), and Anna Zackrinsson (Deliver Me).
This wasn’t the only series the star worked on this year either, as another release quickly followed in the shape of director Milad Alami’s Bullshit, a story about a motorcycle gang in 1970’s Denmark where Vic plays Bettina, one of the gang members’ partners:
“I felt like I had met Bettina so many times in so many different aspects, and for some reason she was so easy for me. I just got it right away; I lived in Amager, the place where all this took place some generations back, too” she says.
It’s interesting that when talking about her roles and which ones might have been most challenging, the star declares that most of the work that she has done has had its challenges; “I appreciate these challenges, it should feel like a leap of faith somehow, a letting go of control – every single time“.
However, there was one episode in her recent series, Bullshit, which was a particular challenge. A one-shot take in the fifth episode which might be one of the most dynamic pieces of television we have seen in some time from Denmark and where: “S*** goes down, you know?” Vic smiles. The episode is shot on a handheld camera and while the actor felt an immediate connection to her character, a one-take episode filmed in real time presented a significant hurdle. They had to navigate Bettina’s emotional journey within the strict confines of the time code, ensuring each emotional beat landed precisely within the allotted time frame.
“I felt that with both The Helicopter Heist and Bullshit, that the whole approach to these series’ was maybe a little bit more cinematic in terms of feeling like we are almost shooting a feature film – which was quite fascinating.
What I have quite enjoyed is to sometimes do these supporting roles, because then I feel like I come in and I have this task of finding the ingredients that I can add to the dish. I have to find how to make the protagonist, the main character’s, narrative come through and the story be told.”
If that wasn’t enough this year, then came along her latest role in The Girl With The Needle, where director Magnus Von Horn described how he just knew that Vic was right for the role;
“With Vic, it wasn’t just a physical appearance thing, even her emotional register felt different. She seems to belong to a different time period, or a different universe. She has this wild energy,” the director stated.
The film follows Karoline, played by Vic, as she struggles to survive in post-WW1 Copenhagen. She then gets pregnant, causing her to panic and she decides she can’t keep it, which leads to a chance meeting with a woman called Dagmar, played by Trine Dyrholm. Dagmar seems to answer all her problems, until a dark discovery is made. Vic’s performance is phenomenal and has highlighted her as a serious talent to watch.
And what is next for the actress? Perhaps some lighter roles?
“I love singing. I think it would be really fun to do some sort of musical or a dance movie!”
Discussing directors she would love to work with, she names the likes of David Lynch, Andrea Arnold, and Lynne Ramsay as examples – the idea of her working with them would be mind-blowing!
“I want to do it all!“, and we would not be surprised in the slightest if she did.
Having seen most of her performances, it is incredible to follow the diversity of roles she plays and her chameleon-like quality – cementing these performances in a way that won’t let you forget who she is. For those who have only discovered the actress through The Girl With the Needle, I implore you to dive deeper into her previous work.
As we wrap up our conversation, I ask Vic for her top Nordic picks and she names The Idiots, Festen, and Open Hearts as among her favourites. There we have it, plenty here to add to your Nordic Watchlist!
The Girl With The Needle is released through MUBI in the New Year.
To fill in your time before then, go and discover more of Vic’s performances and tell us your favourites in the comment section below.
