Royalteen Princess Margrethe Review: The latest teenage royal drama premiered on May 11, 2023, on Netflix. Directed by Ingvild Søderlind, the story follows Princess Margrethe’s struggles to cope with being in the public eye constantly while dealing with family drama and high school life. The story is based on the book by Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen.
Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne stars in the lead role as Margrethe alongside Julie Agnete Vang, Mathias Storhøi, Anderz Eide, Ines Høysæter Asserson, Amalie Sporsheim and more. The movie is shot in the Norwegian language and is available with English dub and subtitles. It has a total runtime of approximately 98 minutes.
-Royalteen Princess Margrethe Review Contains No Spoilers-
What I thought would be an insightful story of the privileged class and their struggles turned out to be rather shallow and mundane. There is a strong attempt to make the plot seem deeper than it is; however, it did not come through. Nevertheless, the story consists of a few moments that truly would make one feel connected to the lead character.
Princess Margrethe is a normal teenager, but she is unable to lead a normal life due to belonging to the royal family. Being rebellious and impulsive behaviour is her only way to escape from reality. She constantly drowns herself in drugs and alcohol to run away from her problems, but they often catch up faster than she anticipates. Moreover, she easily manages to put on a facade in front of the world and hide her personal and family problems. Traumatic events and the need for acceptance frequently put her in unsuitable circumstances.
Even though the lead character is complex, the plot is unable to showcase the intricacies adequately. Heavy themes like drug abuse and mental health issues are merely added as a personality traits rather than diving more deeper into the issues. Moreover, some topics are also handled poorly, like the invasion of privacy, homosexuality and more. Those topics are merely glossed over, and the viewers will never receive a well-thought-out conclusion to those events.
Additionally, the major plot point of the movie also fell flat. The build-up is done throughout the movie, from the beginning up to the point; however, the final revelation is done rather poorly. The consequences of the major event are also brushed under the rug, and we never receive a conclusive idea of the after-effects of the life-changing moments. There are many things happening in the movie to display the young girl’s struggles, but none of them is able to provide a full picture of the events.
It is worth mentioning that the lead actress, Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne, did a fairly good job at portraying a young teenager struggling to manage both her personal life and the public life. Other actors also provided great support to the main character on-screen. The costumes and make-up are other positive factors of the movie that makes it visually appealing. Beautiful scenic beauty is another aspect that makes it eye-catching and worth the watch.
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Royalteen Princess Margrethe Review: Final Thoughts
The creators had the opportunity to explore the character’s struggles in an interesting way, but they did not manage to put their message across. There is a constant disconnect with the main character, and the plot could not make her relatable to the audience. Moreover, often times it feels extremely shallow and performative for including heavy themes and being unable to handle them well. Nevertheless, it can be a good watch for the ones who are looking for something which requires the least of one’s attention.
Royalteen: Princess Margrethe is now streaming on Netflix. Did you watch the movie yet? Let us know in the comments below!
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