Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
A couple struggles with infertility; sex, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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A Copenhagen Love Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In A COPENHAGEN LOVE STORY, Mia (Rosalynde Mynster) is a successful writer in her late 30s who enjoys her years of sexual freedom. She'd keep having one-night stands with high school boys in restrooms if her friends didn't start riding her, suggesting it's time to date an adult. In keeping with her philosophy, she's written an autobiographical novel about a young woman's sexual adventures and her inability to settle with one man. At a reading, she says almost boastfully that she doesn't know how to be a girlfriend. Then she's introduced to Emil (Joachim Fjelstrup), a divorced archeologist with two young kids. They hit it off. She even likes his kids, and in no time she moves in and decides she'd like to have her own with Emil. They launch into fertility treatments in the throes of early love and things don't go well. The hormones cause ugly mood swings and Mia can't cope; can her relationship with Emil survive their fertility struggles?
Is It Any Good?
A Copenhagen Love Story starts as a romcom and without warning devolves into a maudlin treatise on the self-pity of a privileged woman who wants what she wants when she wants it. Her sudden desire to have a child comes out of nowhere. She goes immediately from multiple-partnered hedonist to a homebody settling down with a guy she's only recently met. When did the transition occur? The biggest mystery: Why does he love her? She gets mad at him, gets drunk and leaves him at a party, and then nearly has sex with a stranger. Her friends have to restrain her from telling Emil of her transgression. She claims she wants to come clean. The friends explain the news will hurt him. She's not a nice or likable person, leaving us with little sympathy for her struggle to get pregnant.
Mia is also a liar. She tells Emil she's not writing about him, a lie he accidentally discovers while cleaning her computer. She mocks him, calling him "boring." She throws tantrums. She walks out on him without allowing discussion. Her gay brother finally points out the ugliness of her self-pity, reminding her she gave up on trying to have a baby after only 18 months while he and his partner were still trying for nearly five years, spending a small fortune on it and facing far more obstacles than Mia because they're gay. Note that the Danish title of the movie is Sult, which translates to "hunger" in English. It's probably supposed to refer to her desire for a child, or to connect with a loved one, but it really points to her vampire-ish need to suck others dry.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the difficulties of wanting children but not being able to have them. Do you sympathize with Emil and Mia? Why, or why not?
The hormones women must take in certain fertility treatments can result in mood swings. How do you think Mia handled them? How do you think Emil handled her reaction to them?
The movie demonstrates aspects of Mia's character present before she met Emil. What are some that might predict their difficulties as a couple?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 26, 2025
- Cast : Joachim Fjelstrup , Rosalynde Mynster
- Directors : Louise Mieritz , Ditte Hansen
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 105 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : March 14, 2025
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