Directed by: Pernille Fischer Christensen
Written by: Pernille Fischer Christensen, Kim Fupz Aakeson
Cast: Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Frank Thiel, Elsebeth Steentoft
Genre: Drama / Romance / Queer Cinema
Runtime: 104 minutes
💬 Plot Overview
Charlotte (Trine Dyrholm), a 32-year-old beauty clinic owner, packs up her life and moves into a new apartment after leaving her abusive boyfriend. Living in the flat below is Veronica (David Dencik), a pre-operative trans woman who spends her days watching television soap operas, caring for her dog, and waiting for state approval for her gender-affirming surgery. When an emergency brings them together, an unlikely and volatile connection forms. Over cigarettes, television, and shared loneliness, their initial friction softens into a tender, messy, and deeply emotional bond that mirrors the dramatic highs and lows of the soaps Veronica loves.
🎨 Style & Direction
Theatrical & Intimate Staging: Set almost entirely within the cramped confines of a Danish apartment building, Pernille Fischer Christensen utilizes a chapter-based structure and theatrical staging to create an intimate, chamber-play atmosphere.
Complex, Non-Judgmental Performances: Trine Dyrholm brings a raw, erratic energy to Charlotte, while David Dencik gives a landmark, deeply empathetic performance as Veronica—capturing her vulnerability, dignity, and desire for romantic validation.
Soap Opera Subversion: The film cleverly contrasts the melodramatic tropes of TV soaps with the awkward, unpolished reality of human affection, using voiceover narration and classical music to frame its tragicomic tone.
💬 QueerFilmHub Perspective
“A Soap is a raw, tender, and unconventional gem of Scandinavian cinema—capturing how two wounded souls can find healing and connection in the most unexpected spaces.”
