TrustNordisk Adds ‘Unraveled' by ‘Becoming Astrid's' Pernille Fischer Christensen, Reveals First Image Ahead of Cannes Market (EXCLUSIVE)

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Ahead of Cannes market, Scandinavia's leading sales agent TrustNordisk has released a fresh still from Pernille Fischer Christensen's drama 'Unraveled' ('Vores Løfte') which just wrapped filming for Nordisk Film Production Denmark.
A Berlinale regular, from her 2006 breakthrough prize-winning debut 'A Soap' to the Astrid Lindgren biopic 'Becoming Astrid' (2018), picked up by Music Box for the U.S., Christensen's 'Unraveled' marks her anticipated return to the silver screen after her TV drama immersion that notably took in co-directing DR's acclaimed 'Cry Wolf.'
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The upcoming Danish pic stars Danica Curcic ('The Chestnut Man,' 'Out Stealing Horses') as Maria, a former elite swimmer and famous sports commentator whose life unravels when her beloved husband Mikael (Lars Ranthe from 'Another Round'), her former coach and father of their daughter, is suddenly suspected of sexual abuse. Sparking the scandal and media interest is the revelation in an upcoming book, of a young girl's misguided infatuation for her swimming coach, with rumors suggesting that Mikael is the man in question.
What fuelled Christensen's interest for the subject a few years back, was #MeToo, 'one of the greatest things that ever happened to us women since free abortion and our right to vote' says Christensen. 'But, I'm also a person with a lot of empathy, so I started to wonder how it would feel for the man accused of sexual harassment, what it would be like to be his wife and kids.'
For the director who's often put family at the core of her work, her sixth feature is first and foremost 'a drama about a woman who is forced to re-examine her marriage, the deep love for her husband, as she tries to keep together her family and protect her daughter from the media frenzy that arises,' explains the helmer who for the first time penned her script fully on her own, without co-writer Kim Fupz Aakeson.
'Because of the subject matter, which deals with a woman reflecting on her couple, on herself and regaining control of her narrative, I felt I had to take full control over the material.' As Christensen tells Variety, key elements that helped her build and refine the script were thorough research, interviews with men who had been accused of sexual harassment and their families, and discussions with the key cast to capture the authenticity in their performance.
Christensen said she is currently fine-tuning the tone and 'thriller-ish' element around the sexual allegations – with editor My Thordal ('Families Like Ours,' 'The Kingdom'), actress-turned composer Rebekka Karijord ('Songs of Earth,' 'All the Old Knives') and cinematographer Joe Maples ('Blackwater,' 'The Hunt for a Killer').
TrustNordisk's managing director Susan Wendt said: 'The film touches on a variety of subjects through a single storyline, telling a gripping and emotional but also universal and timely story. 'Unraveled' is a very character-driven film, which is one of Pernille's big strengths and I'm sure that she with this film once again will captivate audiences around the world.'
The pic, produced by Mette Høst Hansen & Tomas Radoor for Nordisk Film Production, is set to launch in Denmark in spring 2026.
For Cannes, TrustNordisk's strong slate also takes in Anders Thomas Jensen's highly-anticipated 'The Last Viking' starring Mads Mikkelsen, with fresh scenes to be unveiled at a promo-reel presentation, with half a dozen upcoming titles. Two films will screen at the market: the Swiss-German hospital drama 'Late Shift,' which collected solid reviews on the back of its Berlinale Special Gala presentation and Norwegian doc feature and series 'Fighter,' showcased at CPH:DOX and Series Mania.
Commenting on the state of the market ahead of Cannes kick off, seasoned sales agent Wendt said: 'It is hard to say what the market will be like. The buyers are surely more selective and careful, but if you have the right projects, they are still there, paying good prices. The question is always what they are looking for. But TrustNordisk comes to Cannes with a range of exciting new projects and a very diverse line-up with features and series from both new and established filmmakers ranging from major dramas, crime, feel-good dramedies to monster action and animation and we look forward to presenting all of them to the international market.'
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