Back home

Birthday Girl

27 votes

Producing House

On a cruise ship bound for the Caribbean, 42 year old Nanna has invited her daughter Cille and her best friend on a cruise to celebrate Cille's 18th birthday. The expectations are high, and they have big plans set for the three days aboard the cruise. But on the first evening, the dream vacation descends a nightmare, and Nanna realizes that in order to get justice, she must take matters into her own hands.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 2024-04-04

Runtime: 90 mins

Director: Michael Noer

Spoken language: Dansk, English

Genres: Drama, Thriller

Original title: Birthday Girl

Production Companies: Nordisk Film Denmark

Production Countries: Denmark

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
“Nanna” (Trine Dyrholm) has a strained relationship with her daughter “Cille” (Flora Lindahl) and so invites her and her friend “Lea” (Maja Ida Thiele) onto a Caribbean cruise to celebrate her birthday. The boat duly sets sail and the girls meet “Kevin” (Herman Tammeraas) and his brother “Ryan” (Nathan Popa) and they all let their hair down. A trip out to the boat deck for “Cille” doesn’t not end well, and now distressed, hungover and unable to recall just what did happen, her mother is convinced that she has been raped. She reports her suspicions to the authorities, but with her daughter unwilling to undergo any sort of medical and the ship being in somewhat muddy international waters, they claim their hands are tied and so it falls to “Nanna” to try to identify and shame the culprit. The question is, with “Cille” remaining adamantly uncooperative with her mother, even in private, is she going to get the right man? Too much of this drama is based on the scare factor of the alleged deed and nowhere near enough on developing a characterful story that engages. We are selectively drip-fed information that is manoeuvring us to a series of conclusions that I felt distinctly uncomfortable about. On the one hand we have a “victim” who refuses to incriminate her offender - but is that because there was no offence, or because she doesn’t remember, or because she is ashamed or a bit of all three? Meantime we are encouraged to see one of these young men as a cocky sexual predator without really having any more to go on than a kiss and her mother’s guilt-ridden suspicions. From here on in the scenarios lurch around in a fashion that might be intended to convey the exasperation of “Nanna”, but by presenting an entirely one-sided perspective I actually started to dislike this woman, quite intensely. The denouement is something straight out of Agatha Christie, with an all too convenient wrapping up of events that is every bit as obnoxious as the crime itself. To really get to the heart of depictions of sex crimes like this, you can’t just sail along encouraging the audience to make assumptions about boozed-up responsibility and consent without far more substantial characterisations otherwise it just perpetuates man-hating attitudes that help no one.
2025-07-24

Recommendations

Maborosi
3.7

Maborosi

1995-10-01

A tragedy strikes a young woman's life without warning or reason. She continues living while searchi

Utusan Iblis: Dia Yang Berada di Antara Kita
3

Utusan Iblis: Dia Yang Berada di Antara Kita

2025-01-02

Telling the story of Olivia, a psychiatrist specializing in mental health, who tries to help Rendy,

Reckless Summer
3

Reckless Summer

2021-09-17

15-year-old Solange lives in a little town in the French Alps. When her parents get divorced, she di

Our Town
2.9

Our Town

1940-05-24

Change comes slowly to a small New Hampshire town in the early 20th century. We see birth, life and

Presagios
0

Presagios

2024-03-20

A young girl has some visions about her future that will change her relationship with her mother, fo

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
0

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2017-11-27

Jane wakes up a year after a traumatic incident which coincidentally happened on her birthday. As s

The Wicked Gift
3.2

The Wicked Gift

2017-11-23

Ethan is a young, shy and rather reserved designer who has suffered from insomnia for many years due

Janakan
2.3

Janakan

2010-04-08

Viswam murders the people who brutally raped and killed his daughter. Now, he tries to reach out to

Mean Girls
3.6

Mean Girls

2004-04-30

Cady Heron is a hit with The Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, until she makes the

Blue
4

Blue

2022-01-01

Sofia break up with Nicola and goes away forever to the Fiji Islands with a 12-hour time zone from I

Made to Penetrate
0

Made to Penetrate

2014-08-05

Patty meets Dave at the bar. Later that night, she and her friends follow him out and "fuck him up".

Operation Condor
3.6

Operation Condor

1991-02-07

Hired by a Spanish baron, Hong Kong treasure hunter Jackie, a.k.a. "Asian Hawk" and his entourage se

White Oleander
3.5

White Oleander

2002-10-11

A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing

Titanic
3

Titanic

1943-09-24

In 1912, the Titanic embarks on its inevitable collision course with history. In the wake of the ove

Thirteen
3.3

Thirteen

2003-08-20

When 13-year-old Tracy befriends Evie, the most popular girl in school, her life is turned upside do

Audition
3.5

Audition

2000-03-03

Seven years after the death of his wife, widower Shigeharu seeks advice on how to find a new wife fr

The Man from Earth
3.8

The Man from Earth

2007-06-10

A departing professor gathers his closest colleagues for an intimate farewell, but the night takes a

Ice Princess
3.2

Ice Princess

2005-03-17

With the help of her coach, her mom, and the boy who drives the Zamboni, nothing can stop Casey Carl

Gaslight
3.8

Gaslight

1944-05-04

A newlywed fears she's going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.

Hair of the Bear
0

Hair of the Bear

2025-10-23

Refusing to go to school, anxious 16-year-old Tori is driven by her mother to her grandfather's rust