Marie Krøyer / The Passion of Marie

Set in Denmark’s Skagen artists’ colony in circa 1900, where married artists Peder and Marie Krøyer appear to be a happy couple. But a crisis is brewing between the established painter and his wife, who is 16 years his junior. After an outburst of violence, Krøyer is admitted to a psychiatric clinic. After his release, he also begins bullying his daughter Vibeke, so Marie takes her and flees to a friend in Sweden. There she begins an affair with the young composer Hugo Alfvén. Krøyer seems to tolerate the love triangle. But then a scandal erupts in Skagen ... In light-flooded images, Bille August captures the atmosphere in Skagen without glossing over the dark side of the lives of its famous residents. The Behnhaus Drägerhaus Museum in Lübeck holds a painting by Peder Krøyer depicting Marie, who made a name for herself as a painter and interior designer. Yet she is barely recognisable as a person because her face is covered by her bonnet. This makes Birgitte Hjort Sørensen's portrayal in the film all the more impressive.