🎬 Overview
Loving Adults (Kærlighed for voksne) is a psychological thriller released in Denmark in 2022 by Topsøe-Rothenborg Barbara and was based on a novel written by Anna Ekberg. The film is notable for being Netflix’s first original Danish film and explores themes of betrayal, obsession, power, and murder in a marriage that appears thriving at the surface. The film stars Dar Salim, Sonja Richter, and Sus Wilkins. Blending noir with soap opera elements, the film chillingly depicts the dangerous unraveling of a marriage.
The film takes place in a calm Danish suburb and runs for approximately 104 minutes. Here, the quiet existence of the Holm family descends into a world of manipulation, paranoia, and lethal intentions.
📘 Synopsis
Despite the facade of Johan, a son recovering from a life-threatening illness, a beautiful home, and financial security, Christian and Leonora Holm, a wealthy couple, paint a picture of a happy family. However, the couple is hiding a great deal of turmoil under the surface.
Due to the son’s prolonged illness, Leonora, who was once a gifted violinist, has entirely abandoned her career. Christian, a successful businessman, is now romantically involved with a younger colleague from his architectural firm, Xenia. Suspicious of the affair, Leonora ultimately confirms her worst fears while attending an office function: she witnesses Christian and Xenia together.
Leonora is furious, and when she confronts Christian, she devastates him with allegations of embezzlement—using company funds intended for their son’s medical treatments—as well as providing proof. With the affair exposed, she demands he cut ties with Xenia or else face exposure. Reluctantly accepting this ultimatum, an angry Christian retaliate with implications of a dark secret from Leonora’s past—the mysterious death of her ex-boyfriend Mike, who she maintains died in an accident. Casting doubt on her mental stability and innocence, he suggests it could have been murder.
A psychologically intense conflict ensues. Christian runs over Leonora during her evening jog, attempting to kill her. She survives, but he is convinced he accidentally killed someone else. Later, Leonora admits to killing Mike. With this “truth,” she uses it as leverage to force Christian to help her kill Xenia once and for all.
Leonora meticulously plots Xenia’s murder, carrying it out during a staged spa trip. The body is disposed of in a community bonfire, cleverly hiding the evidence. During the final scenes of the film, Christian is shown disposing of Xenia’s remains while Leonora watches coldly and victoriously from a distance.
👥 CAST & CHARACTERS
Christian Holm: A complex man who begins as a cheating husband and evolves into a would-be murderer manipulated by his own wife. Salim portrays Christian’s descent into moral chaos with nuance and depth.
Sonja Richter as Leonora Holm: Leonora is both a victim and a villain. Her performance walked the line between wounded spouse and calculating mastermind, giving one of the most chilling arcs in the film.
Sus Wilkins as Xenia: The younger woman caught in the middle of a deadly marital power struggle. While her role is small, it serves as the catalyst for the film’s descent into violence.
Mikael Birkkjær as Police Commissioner: A quiet but observant character who slowly becomes aware of foul play. While his instincts are sharp, his ultimate effectiveness as an investigator is weakened.
🎥 Direction & Style
The film is directed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg, who, as is typical of Nordic noir, employs a minimalist style dense with subtext. The juxtaposition of serene suburban settings and sharp emotional conflict creates an eerie contrast. The pacing of the film, as well as the cinematography’s subdued color palette and meticulous framing, suggest a deep rift in the characters’ relationships, even in the most private and intimate settings.
The film’s slow pace deliberately builds tension incrementally, escalating just before each plot twist. Dialogue is limited and tightly controlled, amplifying the anxiety. Music underpins the action but does not dominate, functioning in the background to heighten the emotional atmosphere.
📚 Themes & Analysis
- Marriage as Psychological Battleground
The film depicts marriage as a place of manipulation, betrayal, and intrusion—not a refuge. Instead of love, control reigns; emotional currency becomes a weapon.
- Obsession and Possession
Leonora transforms into a cold strategist when fixating on preserving her family and meting out punishment for perceived betrayal. Her actions stem less from love than from a desire to claim dominion over Christian, her narrative, and the brand of justice she expects.
- The Weight of the Past
Leonora’s concealed murder of Mike reveals a deeper, more buried secret. It is capable of resurfacing and being used as a weapon. In this case, her past becomes both a shield and a sword, twisting Christian’s suspicions into justification for her control.
- Justice vs. Cleverness
The film paints a picture of a world where justice seems powerless to intervene due to cleverness and intellect. The police, despite mounting suspicions, are outsmarted time and again. The Holms leave no trail behind their crimes, and instead manipulate appearances.
🎭 Performances
Sonja Richter gives a brilliant portrayal of a chilling character who is sympathetic and vulnerable but also cold and ruthless. As Leonora, she embodies every moment, appearing emotionally shattered one moment to executing with deadly precision the next.
Equally intense, Dar Salim’s performance as a morally decaying man is powerful. He captures the audience with the internal struggle of guilt, fear, and desperate sadness bringing authentic and tragic qualities to the character.
While not especially prominent, Sus Wilkins played Xenia with enough charm and sincerity that entices the audience. This makes her a believable threat to Leonora which adds depth to the love triangle.
📈 Reception & Critique
Loving Adults has been critically received as a film with mixed reviews. Reviewers had positive comments regarding the performance of the actors as well as praising the suspenseful storyline. Fans of thrillers and Scandinavian cinema appreciated the dark atmosphere coupled with unexpected turns.
Regardless of praise for the film, it does bear flaws; multiple critics and audience members highlighted issues with logic—specifically within the scope of the police investigation. Some pivotal clues are left out, some character choices are incredibly hard to believe, and others felt there was an overreliance on genre clichés, leaning far too much into melodrama.
Regardless, there was much to discuss, especially on themes such as gender, justice, and power relations within the household.
🧭 Conclusion
This film is disturbing because it depicts the way betrayal destroys a person and takes them to unthinkable lengths for control. Loving Adults is a taut, stylish psychological thriller marriage can be portrayed as a battlefield wherein love, rage, and vengeance intertwine.
The film is a notable addition to Nordic noir. The performances are captivating, and the plot, chilling. It draws the audience into a world full of masks where the most dangerous secrets lie exposed but buried beneath the surface. While the film does have its flaws, I believe it succeeds in drawing the audience into the world.
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