Astrid

That the girl with the pigtails, who doesn't like to follow rules and often seems to live in her very own world, would one day become one of the world's most popular children's authors, is something no one in 1920s Sweden could have guessed. Publisher Blomberg (Henrik Rafaelsen) quickly sees that young Astrid (Alba August) is something very special when the 18-year-old girl starts working as an intern at his newspaper. Despite the big age difference, the two fall in love and Astrid becomes pregnant. A disaster for her strictly religious family, so she is sent to Copenhagen, where she gives birth to their son. The boy grows up with a foster mother (Trine Dyrholm), while Astrid builds a new life in Stockholm. But she quickly realizes: this is not what she wants to lead without her child.

Astrid tells only about a short period of Astrid Lindgren's life, long before she had great success with her books. Of course, there are little scenes interspersed here and there that give a hint of what inspired the writer to create characters like Pipi Longstocking or the rascal Michel. But overall, the whole thing is much more the story of a young woman who defies societal norms in order to be with her son.

It's a very moving story because the boy grew up with a foster mother for the first few years of his life and doesn't actually know his real mother. So young Astrid not only has to make ends meet as a single mother - which was even more difficult in the 1920s than it is today, for various reasons. She must also try to connect with her own - and yet somehow foreign - child. Alba August plays the young Astrid Lindgren with a convincing mix of childlike naivety and rebellious strength.

It is also she who saves the film over some of its more drawn-out moments. Director Pernille Fischer Christensen has directed a moving drama that suffers from quite a few clichés and template-ridden characters. However, the convincing leading actress and some very beautiful, emotional moments prevent Astrid from slipping completely into mediocrity. And for that it deservedly gets a: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp