by Michel Marc Bouchard
Marianna Films
Kristina of Sweden was queen regnant of Sweden from 1632 to 1654, although to be more accurate, her full list of titles was Queen of the Swedes, Goths and Wends; Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, Bremen-Verden, Stettin, Pomerania, Cassubia and Vandalia, Princess of Rugia, Lady of Ingria and of Wismar. During her reign, she championed bringing arts and sciences to Sweden and making Stockholm the Athens of the North. She was raised Lutheran, but converted to Catholicism and abdicated her throne at the age of 28 and is now buried in the Vatican. She was not interested in marriage, or men, and might possibly identify as genderqueer today. She’s a fascinating person.
Not a lot of people outside of Sweden know about her, and the general impression one gets about Scandinavian history as a whole is that there were Vikings, and then WWII happened (there’s that one children’s book about kids sneaking Norwegian gold out under the Nazis’ noses on their sleds?) and then came Ikea. But there’s several hundred years in between where things happened! This movie covers ten of them.
When Kristina’s father, King Gustav II Adolf, dies in the 30 Years War, Kristina is 6. Her mother keeps Gustav’s body hanging around because “he wanted us to be buried on the same day” and after 18 months of this less-than-stable behavior, Kristina is taken by the Chancellor and raised as her father dictated: educated as a boy, often dressing as a boy, with as many books as she wants. At the age of 18, played in this film by Malin Buska, she officially comes of age and is crowned King, and announces that her desire is to educated the populace, make Stockholm a center of learning and art and culture, but in order to do that they need to stop fighting in various and sundry wars.
This doesn’t go over well with the men. It also doesn’t go over well that she is completely uninterested in marriage and has a total fascination with one of her ladies in waiting, Countess Ebba Sparre, which blossoms into a full-on affair. (The chancellor’s son brings up his concern with Kristina and Ebba’s closeness, and his father is like, “Kid, women just have closer friendships than men do. It doesn’t mean they’re ORGASM FRIENDS.”) (In the movie, they are orgasm friends. In real life, they very well might have been orgasm friends.)
Mostly this was a story about a woman who was doing her best for her country, based on what she thought was best, and having to deal with confusing feelings (at one point she writes to Rene Descartes asking, “What is love, and how do I get rid of it?) and annoying men who think they get to control her. Sure, Chancellor Oxenstierna, you helped raise her after her father died, but she’s the queen and you don’t get to control her. It’s so annoying when people have agency!
This was a Finnish movie, starring a Swedish actress, mostly in English and French, about a Swedish queen, that premiered at a Canadian film festival, and is now available on an American streaming service (okay, yes, now I’m just pulling in as many countries as I can).
Malin Buska as Kristina was fantastic. She has these expressive eyes and conveys all of these emotions with the set of her jaw. I’m really sad that there isn’t much else she’s done as of yet.
And the costumes! My god the costumes. The mid 17th century is a fascinating era where gowns are humongous and dudes look kinda foppish and ridiculous.
I enjoyed this foray into history I didn’t know that much about (Missed in History did an episode about her not that long ago), and am very much looking forward to learning more when I am in Stockholm (someday I will stop talking about this trip, but it is not this day).
The Girl King is available for streaming on Amazon for rental or for purchase, as well as on Google:Play and iTunes.
I rarely watch movies (just not really a movie person) but HELL yes am I watching this.
The second PP of this review had me spitting tea onto my laptop. Thanks for starting my weekend with a huge laugh.
Does this end on a happy note?
HELLO. I think I need to see this movie.
Thanks for alerting me to this movie, I’ve always found her to be an interesting character.
One of Garbo’s most famous roles was as Queen Christina. Of course in that movie she abdicates because of her love for Frederic March, but, you know, it was 1934. (Check out Google Images for stills from that movie. Some of her most iconic images.)
Not Fredric March, but John Gilbert. (The part was originally cast with the young and gorgeous Laurence Olivier, but Garbo insisted on Gilbert, as she was trying to help salvage his career – they had been lovers and almost married some years prior.) He plays an entirely fictional character, but the relationship with Ebba Sparre is heavily implied (this was 1933, still considered the “Pre-Code” (less strictly censored) Era of Hollywood.) It’s a very good movie, well worth watching – the last shot of Garbo as she sails away is indeed one of the most iconic in movies.
Yes, I only knew of Queen Christina/Kristina from the old Garbo movie, which I never cared for, tbh. I’d be interested in checking this one out as it seems more my cuppa.
Omg I remember that children’s book!
The movie sounds interesting, thanks. I had known about Kristina through the sci-fi book series ‘1632’ by Eric Flint, where a small American town is sent through time and space to Europe during the 30 Years War. History starts changing and King Gustav II Adolf doesn’t die in the war. Which changes things for Kristina, etc. Lots of romance between the two cultures in the series, too.
I had always hoped someone would make another movie about Queen Kristina, considering how heavily edited the Garbo version was concerning her personal life, as I’ve long found Kristina just as interesting as any of the other, more well-known European queens of history (Elizabeth I, Catherine de’ Medici, Catherine the Great, etc.) yet sadly overlooked by the rest of the world. This movie looks amazing–how did I not know it existed?–and it’s definitely going on my list.
Runs to Amazon…
That actress is very PRETTY. Christina was known for her messy hair, unkempt appearance, and for happily clomping about in men’s shoes. I also remember reading that some historians believe that she was intersex (as there appears to have been some confusion about her assigned sex for several days after she was born, before they plumped on ‘girl’ for her.) It looks like an interesting movie, but I wish they’d cast somebody a little less femme to play her.