Solar Pictures presents THE GIRL KING, a true Royalty story in Sweden

Solar Pictures presents a controversial story in history in The Girl King wherein a crowned King of Sweden becomes a queen. The film will be screened in theaters nationwide beginning June 1, 2016. It was rated R-16 by the MTRCB without cuts.

Synopsis:

THE GIRL KING is the story of one of the most iconic Queens in history. Queen Kristina of Sweden, raised as a prince at her father’s request, is thrust into a world of conflict. Faced with the austere, fiercely conservative Lutheran values of the times, she begins her reign in confrontation – opting for education for all her subjects and an end to the Thirty Years War.

Pulled between the Lutheran and Catholic forces, conspiring for her allegiance, she also faces an internal struggle. Falling deeply in love with her lady in waiting, the stunning Ebba Sparre, she is left confused and wanting. As the forces converge, Kristina is pushed towards making one of the greatest and most scandalous decisions in history. This is the story of the young Kristina, preceding this momentous and influential decision.

Malin Buska as Queen Kristina

MTRCB Rating: 

R-16 WITHOUT CUTS (Strictly for 16 years old and above)

Running Time: 1 hour and 43 minutes

Genre: Drama, Romance, History

Released by: Solar Pictures

 Sarah Gadon as Ebba Sparre

 As the controversial Queen without a country, Kristina defied convention, challenged tradition, and changed the course of history.

François Arnaud as Karl Gustav 

François Arnaud is best known for his role in the TV series, The Borgias. His character, Karl Gustav, is a devoted and loyal friend of Kristina and the key contender for her hand in marriage. He is the King that the people wanted, the man whom they had hoped she would marry. 

 The Girl King 

Director: Mika Kaurismäki

Screenplay: Michel Marc Bouchard

Cast: 

Malin Buska (Easy Money, Happy End), 

Sarah Gadon (Belle, Enemy, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Dracula Untold), 

Michael Nyqvist (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, John Wick), 

Lucas Bryant (Queer As Folk, Haven, The Vow), 

Laura Birn (Purge, A Walk Among The Tombstones), 

Hippolyte Girardot (The Conquest, Lady Chatterly's Lover), 

Francois Arnaud (Blindspot, The Borgias), 

and Patrick Bauchau (2012, Panic Room, Clear And Present Danger, A View To A Kill) 

Michael Nyqvist as Chancellor Axel Oxenstiern

Michael Nyqvist is the Swedish star of the hit Millennium trilogy. His character, Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna, is one of the most powerful people in Europe at the time of Queen Kristina, the best friend of her father, King Gustav II Adolph, and a man with a pure, unwavering belief in the church of Sweden’s Lutheran branch of Christianity. 

Background Story:

In the 17th century, Queen Kristina at age 18 was crowned the king of Sweden, but was also regarded as the queen. Her sexuality and brilliance considered her as the “queen” of the contemporary LGBT members. During her time, she was accepted and respected by her constituents.

During her coronation, at age 18, Kristina pronounced her intention to end thirty years of war between Catholics and Protestants and to educate her subjects. Her quest for knowledge drew her to the philosopher, René Descartes and the French Ambassador, Pierre Hector Chanut, and became life-long friends.

Jannis Niewöhner as Count Jakob de la Gardie

The men of the court believe that Countess Ebba is the key to controlling their Queen. They seize Ebba and convince her to marry Count Jakob, to whom she was engaged before meeting Kristina. They underestimate both Kristina's brilliant tactical mind and her awakening discovery of passion and love.

The movie, The Girl King, which is directed by Mika Kaurismaki, is a true-to-life story of Queen Kristina of Sweden. Back in 1933, the first film version, Queen Christina, starred the popular and “mysterious” Greta Garbo. It was critically acclaimed and was a box-office hit. 

Hollywood insiders knew Garbo’s sexual preference. The gossip mill lingered that she was a lesbian. But none was openly revealed regarding her private life. She remained in demand and was the highest paid actress during her time, until her self-imposed retirement.

Lucas Bryant as Count Johan Oxenstierna

Lucas Bryant plays Axel’s narcissistic son Count Johan Oxenstierna, the man who believes Kristina would be well served if he were at her side on the throne. His pride is wounded by her rejection and he is instrumental in the plot to take Ebba away.

A queen without a realm, a Christian without faith, and a woman without shame.

The latest movie version, The Girl King, portrays Queen Kristina (played by Malin Buska) as an enigmatic young woman, beloved by her father, rejected by her mother and raised in a conservative Lutheran court.  Falling deeply in love with her lady in waiting, the stunning Ebba Sparre (played by Sarah Gadon), she is left confused and wanting. She is torn between reason and passion, between the ancient and modern worlds, and the brilliance of her educated and curious mind and the pressures in an empire determined to uphold tradition.

Queen Kristina was a revolutionary free thinker, a connoisseur of art and sciences, a precursor of the feminist movement and a strong visionary as a politician. She was truly a “new” European way ahead of her generation. But at the same time, she was a confused, restless, eccentric, and isolated young woman.

The Girl King Trailer

The Girl King opens on June 1, 2016, with an MTRCB rating of R-16 without cuts. It is an exclusive film release of Solar Pictures. For more details about #TheGirlKing, visit @solarpicturesPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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