Directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen • Drama • With Alba August • 2018 • 123 minutes
Teenaged Astrid Lindgren (Alba August), who later went on to write the Pippi Longstocking series, leads a carefree life with her family in the forests and fields of rural Sweden. Restless and eager to break free from the confines of her conservative upbringing, she accepts an internship at a local newspaper where she attracts the attention of its married editor, Blomberg (Henrik Rafaelsen). After Astrid becomes pregnant, she leaves her childhood home and goes to Copenhagen to secretly give birth to a son, Lasse, whom she reluctantly leaves in the care of a foster mother, Marie (Trine Dyrholm). Astrid goes into self-imposed exile in Stockholm, refusing Blomberg’s offer of marriage and saving up her paltry salary for visits to see Lasse. When Marie falls ill, Astrid uses her imagination and flair for storytelling to reconnect with her son. In spite of her struggles, Astrid emerges with a newfound courage that will later form the foundation of a vast and beloved body of work.
Up Next in The Poets (collection)
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My Letter to the World
Directed by Solon Papadopoulos • Documentary • With Cynthia Nixon • 2018 • 80 minutes
Emily Dickinson has spent the 130 years since her death unfairly pigeonholed as the strange recluse in white. My Letter To The World is an in-depth exploration of her life and work, filmed in her hometown of Am...
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Lost Illusions
Directed by Xavier Giannoli • Drama • With Benjamin Voisin, Cécile De France, Vincent Lacoste • 2022 • 150 minutes
Lucien de Rubempré (Benjamin Voisin) is an ambitious and unknown aspiring poet in 19th century France. He leaves his provincial town, arriving in Paris on the arm of his admirer, Lo...
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Visit to Bernadette Mayer's Childhood...
Directed by Lynne Sachs • Documentary • 2020 • 3 minutes
In July 1971, language poet Bernadette Mayer decided to document an entire month of her life. She called the project Memory. Each day, Mayer exposed a roll of 35 mm slide film and wrote in her journal. The result was 1,100 snapshots and a ...
