Becoming Astrid

Name: Becoming Astrid
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: November 23, 2018
Duration: 123 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Alba August, Björn Gustafsson, Casper Kjær Jensen, Eric Ericson, Henrik Rafaelsen

2018

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Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings

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Becoming Astrid

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Movie Details & Credits

Music Box Films | Release Date: November 23, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Alba August, Björn Gustafsson, Casper Kjær Jensen, Eric Ericson, Henrik Rafaelsen, Lars Väringer, Liv LeMoyne, Mads Korsgaard, Magnus Krepper, Maria Alm Norell, Maria Bonnevie, Maria Fahl-Vikander, Marius Damslev, Mira Mitchell, Ola Normelli, Sofia Karemyr, Trine Dyrholm, Willy Ramnek Petri

Summary: The teenaged Astrid Lindgren (Alba August) leads a carefree life with her family in rural Sweden. Eager to break free from her strict religious upbringing, she accepts an internship at a local newspaper where she attracts the attention of its married editor, Blomberg (Henrik Rafaelsen). When Astrid becomes pregnant, she is forced to leaveThe teenaged Astrid Lindgren (Alba August) leads a carefree life with her family in rural Sweden. Eager to break free from her strict religious upbringing, she accepts an internship at a local newspaper where she attracts the attention of its married editor, Blomberg (Henrik Rafaelsen). When Astrid becomes pregnant, she is forced to leave her childhood home for Copenhagen to secretly give birth to a son, Lasse, whom she reluctantly leaves with a foster mother, Marie (Trine Dyrholm). Astrid goes into self-imposed exile in Stockholm, refusing Blomberg’s offer of marriage but saving up her paltry salary for visits to see her son. When Marie falls ill, Astrid uses her imagination and flair for storytelling to reconnect with her child. In spite of her struggles, she emerges with a newfound courage that will form the foundation of a vast and beloved body of work.… Expand

Director: Pernille Fischer Christensen

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 123 min

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Critic Reviews

Jeannette Catsoulis

Nov 27, 2018

Erik Molberg Hansen’s relaxed camera movements and fuzzy-soft compositions are quite beautiful, and the performances — including the superb Trine Dyrholm as the baby’s Danish foster mother — are pitch-perfect. Best of all is the magnetic August, whose open, mobile features can slide from plain to lovely with just a shift in the light and whose embrace of the character is a joy to watch. Read full review

Michael Phillips

Dec 5, 2018

Throughout Becoming Astrid, August acquits herself brilliantly; the woman we come to know is a tangle of impulses and qualities, and feels vibrantly alive. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Nov 28, 2018

This familiar-sounding melodrama works because of the extraordinary performance, in the title role, by Alba August, a young actress whose every emotion is made manifest, like passing clouds or a burst of sunshine, on her uncannily expressive face. Read full review

Barbara VanDenburgh

Dec 5, 2018

This is not a flat and lifeless biopic in which a creation loses a bit of its wonder in the dissection of its inspiration. “Becoming Astrid” sidesteps that pitfall by focusing on the writer’s painful passage into womanhood, telling an intimate and unhurried story of quiet triumph over pain. Read full review

Robert Abele

Nov 20, 2018

The film’s occasional flatness of tone isn’t always well-used — these may be the raw materials for a classic Hollywood weepie, but sometimes you want to see filmmaking, not a camera pointed in the general direction of who’s talking. Read full review

Pat Brown

Nov 17, 2018

Despite convincing performances, the film is hampered by its stylistic and moral conventionality. Read full review

Josh Kupecki

Dec 5, 2018

Becoming Astrid’s saving grace is Alba August. She is in almost every frame of this film, and gives life to what, on paper, amounts to a Lifetime channel biopic. Read full review

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netflic

Nov 26, 2018

It is a biopic about young years of one of the best children book writer Astrid Lindren, the author of many famous books like "Pippi Longstocking", "Karlsson-on-the-Roof" and many others.
The movie reveals intricate relationship young Astrid had with her conservative parents followed byIt is a biopic about young years of one of the best children book writer Astrid Lindren, the author of many famous books like "Pippi Longstocking", "Karlsson-on-the-Roof" and many others.
The movie reveals intricate relationship young Astrid had with her conservative parents followed by multiple challenges in her young adult years. Authors tried to show how Astrid's literary talents developed but they managed to do so only partially.
Professionally the film is made very well, from excellent performances to great cinematography and casting. It is long (more than 2 hours) but I did not feel it.
Nevertheless, after the movie ended, I did not have an impression that this young woman was to become one the best and most loved kids' writer.… Expand

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