It’s all in there: greed, murder, deception, intrigue, love and it keeps you guessing right until the end
Netflix bills The Secret Woman as a “twist-filled thriller”. And it’s certainly that. Made by the team behind Loving Adults, the film is a gripping adaptation of the book by Anna Ekberg, the pseudonym used by Anders Rønnow Klarlund and Jacob Weinreich. It’s all in there: greed, murder, deception, intrigue, love and it keeps you guessing right until the end. If you’re looking for a highly dramatic, plot-driven Nordic film, then this is one for your watchlist. But don’t expect significant depth or profundity.
The film follows Louise Andersen, an amnesiac living a peaceful life on a beautiful Norwegian island who discovers through a DNA test that she is actually Helene Söderberg, a missing Danish shipping heiress with a husband and young son. Leaving behind her partner Joachim, Louise returns to Denmark and a wealthy family who know her intimately but are complete strangers to her.
In this The Secret Woman review, we see how as Louise attempts to piece together her past, the privileged life she left behind begins to look increasingly sinister. Family secrets surface and those closest to Helene offer conflicting accounts of the woman she once was. Her search for her identity gradually becomes something darker: an investigation into why Helene disappeared in the first place.
The Secret Woman Review: Amnesia, Identity, and Intrigue
The premise of amnesia and uncertain identity is very much the intrigue of the film. While The Secret Woman is not quite up there with the likes of The Bourne Identity and Memento, director Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg does construct a compelling narrative as we follow Louise’s trying to discover who she really is as well as what has happened to her in the past.
Natalie Madueño plays Louise/Helene and her brilliance in the role is key to why the film works as a compelling thriller. Madueño will be known to readers of Nordic Watchlist as the prosecutor Louise Bergstein in Darkness: Those Who Kill, and the ambitious lawyer Claudia Moreno in Follow the Money.
Madueño has by far the most demanding role as much of the mystery is experienced through her. She has to make the amnesia/identity premise credible and does this by showing just the right amount of fear, doubt and insecurity. While Madueño is excellent, essentially playing two different characters, some of the storyline she has to act out does at times stretch the boundaries of credibility.
Star-Studded Cast and Compelling Performances
Helene’s husband Edmund is played by Claes Bang, who was superb in Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning The Square. Edmund is polished, controlled and hard to read. But beneath his good looks and smooth behaviour, clearly lurks something more sinister and at times seemingly evil.
Joachim, the partner that Louise leaves behind in Norway, is played by Pål Sverre Hagen, one of Norway’s leading actors who’s starred in Kon-Tiki, Exit and War Sailor. Joachim’s investigations support Louise’s discoveries. His presence helps Louise to fight against the gaslighting of Edmund and his mother, played by Stina Ekblad.
The casting in The Secret Woman is excellent and it’s arguably better than the characterisation. The actors are there to continually shift the audience’s suspicions and to carry the meandering storyline. The film isn’t really interested in developing the characters beyond that which is necessary for the interest and enjoyment of the plot. That being said, Madueño as Louise/Helene does gives the film psychological weight.
Nordic Noir vs. Slick Netflix Thriller
The lack of the depth in the The Secret Woman is not a problem. It’s a “twist-filled thriller” and doesn’t set out to be anything else. But it does bring into question whether you could genuinely describe The Secret Woman as Nordic Noir. It’s most definitely a Nordic production and the landscapes and visual aesthetic play an important in creating just the right atmosphere. But Nordic Noir is very much famed for its exploration of characters and dark themes that transcend the narrative. The Secret Woman is more of a slick Netflix thriller.
That’s not say that the film doesn’t cover important themes. Identity is clearly a central theme: Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?. Memory and repression of the past is a theme. Family and obligation are explored as are wealth and the supposedly perfect life. Love is also important, but more so in the book. However, like the characters, these themes are really there to support the plot than to leave the audiences considering the issues beyond the framework of the film.
The Secret Woman is an engaging, well-acted film. It starts off leading you to believe it’s a psychological gothic mystery and reinvents itself as complex thriller with multiple twists and turns. It’s not in the same league as some of Nordic Noir classics that have made into films, but it is well worth watching.
The Secret Woman is streaming now on Netflix.
