Loving Adults is a 2022 Danish thriller film directed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg and is based on a novel by Ekberg. It stirs a niche within domestic noir fiction, telling a tale of obsession, betrayal, and infidelity wrapped in a fiercely polished cover. It is, in fact, Netflix’s first Danish-language original movie within the thriller genre. The film probes deeper and reveals a story we often don’t want to confront: the sinister motives we harbor within the boundaries of “normal” lives.
Loving Adults gives us an answer to the question of what occurs when love becomes dangerously possessive and reveals the destruction that comes with it. It is an unnerving glimpse into obsession masked as romance that’s morphed into a suffocating disguise of marriage riddled with toxic secrets, betrayal, and an insatiable thirst for control. The film does follow some conventions of the genre, but the unique touch of fragile psyche wrapped in a layer of ice and emotional intensity is unmistakably Scandinavian.
Plot Summary
The story revolves around Christian (Dar Salim) and Leonora (Sonja Richter) married couple living in a calm suburb in Denmark. They are seemingly living dreams of many with beautiful houses and financial success. They have a son named Johan who has recently recovered from a long term illness. One would expect to see happiness after enduring so much suffering, but for Christian and Leonora, calmness is the exact opposite of the reality they are faced with.
The marriage is on the brink of collapse. Christian has emotionally disconnected from the family and Leonora who used to be a promising violinist has taken the role of a stay at home mom. Not long into the movie, we find out that Christian is cheating on his wife with a younger colleague, Xenia (Sus Wilkins) who is everything that Christian used to aspire for, giving him the much needed passion and zeal. Leonora finds out about the cheating and while she appears heartbroken, she is far from powerless.
Rather than coming unglued, Leonora coolly and systematically begins to plot her next move. What happens next is a multi-layered psychological game where each spouse tries to outsmart the other, whether it be emotionally, physically, or at times, to the death. Leonora is far from the apathetic spouse. She employs tactics of deceit, extortion, and even murder to maintain control of her husband Christian and keep her brittle world from collapsing.
Attempting to be with Xenia, Christian tries to break free, but he soon discovers that his wife is not about to let go easily. Transforming from a tale of marital infidelity, this story subsequently morphs into a compact thriller with intricate plot twists, flashbacks, and moral grayness. The story is told from various angles, and the way the plot is presented makes it impossible to determine which character to root for.
Themes and Symbolism
At its core, Loving Adults is a reflection and meditation on the dark side of marriage. The film critiques the institution of marriage when it becomes focused on control and not love. It asks the question: how far will preserve what they think they deserve, even when the emotional connection has perished?
One of the film’s primary themes is repression and sacrifice. To put it another way, Leonora’s life has endured immense strain: the curtailment of a thriving career, a hopeful future, even a distinct sense of self—and all due to the demands of nurturing a family. Christian’s betrayal is not only emotional. It is also existential because it undermines the core of her life. She has poured a lot of time and energy behind her sacrifices. While her actions may seem extreme, they stem from years of forced composure, and a deep-seated resentment that has festered.
The film also touches on the concepts of obsession and possession. Each Christian and Leonora individually believe that they deserve to attain a certain level of happiness, and both will go to great lengths to manipulate, deceive, and even inflict harm on others to attain it. The title itself – Loving Adults – is ironic as well. It promises a level of maturity, healthy communication, and emotional equilibrium. Instead, we get adults behaving with cruel toxic dependency and pride.
The film also comments on gender roles, focusing on how women in the home sphere are frequently unappreciated or underestimated. At first glance, Leonora appears poised and sophisticated, but she morphsause the film’s most perilous character because she successfully blends elegance with invisibility. Her cold, calculating intelligence stands inhumorously sharp contrast to the impulsive, often frantic behavior of Christian.
Performances and Characterization
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Every interaction between the three leads increases the tension because there is so much left unsaid, making the contact rife with unvoiced hostility.
Direction and Style
Barbara Topsøe–Rothenborg, the director, has created a cold, emotionless world for her characters with a sleek, tense atmosphere that is equally emotionless. The suburban setting, with its contemporary, minimalistic homes and manicured lawns, is a visual juxtaposition to the order and chaos brewing beneath. The visuals serve to accentuate the precision of the society’s polite control and the darkness that often lurks beneath surface.
It is easy to get into the story of the film because it has a nonlinear chronology; key plot elements are revealed in layers. The pacing is tight and flashbacks alongside subjective retellings of events are done in a way that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. They do not know who is telling the truth, who is lying, or who will make it to the end.
The film’s cinematography gives it an almost clinical feel, which is enhanced by the cool-toned lighting. Throughout the film, the tension never relents, and this is because the film’s score, the sounds that accompany the visuals, and the feeling of the film itself are all filled with tension.
Reception and Legacy
Loving Adults was noted for its sleek-styled masterpieces, sharp storytelling, and psychological depth. It functioned not as an accessory, rather, it lifted the entire story, making it easier to infold the crux of the film. Like all great Scandinavian films, it earned the praise it deserved.
As a Danish-language thriller, Loving Adults was the first dose of Scandinavian noir for non-Scandinavians that was not a crime procedural, which is rather refreshing. The film was a treat for the Danish audience and the entire globe watched it with their mouths open in awe.
Though some critics found the film Loving Adults relied on familiar genre tropes, most remarked on the performances and the film’s tension. The “marriage turned murderous” formula is certainly common, but Loving Adults breathes new life into it by making the wife a proactive character who orchestrates the chaos instead of merely reacting to it.
At the heart of the film’s appeal lies deep thematic material: how the combination of resentment, unmet expectations, and repressed rage can transform love into a violent and dangerous force.
Conclusion
The sharp, stylish loving adults comes together for a portrait of the most unsettling intersections of love, marriage, and betrayal. The film is underscored by the tension-filled direction and a sharp script to guide the expertly performed roles, most notably Sonja Richter that truly capture the haunting impacts that arise from a romantic bond rooted in secrets and ruthless sacrifice.
The film transcends formula filmmaking due to its context and depth. The narrative is a strong reminder that in love and marriage, the most well known face lies veiled behind a mask of falsehood. Therefore, the one you assume you know the best can certainly be the one who is capable of the unspeakable.
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