Royalteen

R
Written by Michael Darvell
 

Opposites attract in a right royal ruckus in a bubblegum romance from Norway.

Royalteen

The basis of this romantic drama centres on the initial meet-cute between commoner Lena (Ines Høysæter Asserson) and the Norwegian Crown Prince Kristian, known as Kalle (Mathias Storhøi). They happen to be in the same class at school (as if, even in this ordinary, everyday, proletarian Norwegian aristocracy!). There's an instant attraction but Lena has a secret. She allegedly lives with her parents and her baby brother Theodor, but there is also a hidden scandal about her past. Lena next meets Kalle when she gets lost taking the little one for a walk. She then receives an invitation to a pool party for which Kalle picks her up. The party is OK but for the presence of Kalle’s sister Margrethe (Elli Müller Osborn) who is jealous of any common female attention towards her brother.

Their next date is on a boat where Kalle invites Lena to a royal dinner. The King is all sweetness and light, although the Queen is more than somewhat anxious, while Margrethe, known to all as Princess Paranoia, plays the bitch sister from hell. Enter, too, Tess (Ina Dajanna Ervik), who was part of the royal in-crowd until she was accused of posting a picture of Kalle which hit a royal nerve. Then Guro (Carmen Andrea Dias Hoilund), once a friend of both Lena and Kalle until they fell out, turns up. That alone is enough to upset the eplevogn. However, more trouble looms when Margrethe threatens to reveal all about Lena if she continues to see her brother.

It's all so very petty and ever so predictable right up to the obligatory Prom night when matters come to an inevitable head. However, there are several unanswered questions which, apparently, will be dealt with in a sequel. God help us and all who sail in her.

MICHAEL DARVELL

Cast: Ines Høysæter Asserson, Mathias Storhøi, Veslemøy Mørkrid, Petter Width Kristiansen, Amalie Sporsheim, Frode Winther, Elli Müller Osborn, Carmen Andrea Dias Hoilund, Ina Dajanna Ervik.

Dir Per-Olav Sørensen and Emilie Beck, Pro Janne Hjeltnes, Screenplay Ester Marie Grenersen and Per-Olav Sørensen, based on the book by Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen, Ph Havard Andre Byrkjeland, Pro Des Kristine Wilhelmsen, Ed Wibecke Ronseth, Music Kristian Eidnes Andersen, Costumes Oddfrid Ropstad.

The Global Ensemble Drama-Netflix.
107 mins. Norway. 2022. Rel: 17 August 2022. Cert 15.

 
Michael Darvell

Michael Darvell trained as a librarian at Watford and in Surrey before joining Ealing Libraries where he became Music Librarian for the borough. He edited Masthead, the magazine of the University of North London School of Librarianship, The Surrealist, the staff magazine of Surrey County Library, and contributed to the Assistant Librarian and London Librarian professional journals. A freelance film reviewer since 1970, he has written for Film, Films Illustrated, Film Review, Movie Maker and Radio Times, as well as editing Montage, the London film societies magazine, for ten years. A change of career saw him joining What’s On in London as Features Editor and he eventually stepped into the shoes of the late F. Maurice Speed (founding father of Film Review annual) as the magazine’s Editor. From 2007 to 2015, he was co-editor of the Film Review annual with Mansel Stimpson. As well as writing about films, Michael has reviewed theatre for The Stage newspaper, and has written about music theatre and cabaret for the Classical Source and Musical Theatre Review websites. He is also a former restaurant critic for the ViewLondon website. Michael has been a member of the London Film Critics’ Circle since 2005.

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