Sweden’s Queen Kristina was an enigmatic, flamboyant, and unpredictable woman centuries ahead of her time who ascended the throne at age six, was raised as a prince, and strived to bring peace and education to her country—while pursuing an illicit romance with her female royal attendant. Growing up as a tomboy with a strong intellectual appetite, young Kristina (an electric Malin Buska) finds herself thrown into a political frenzy as a teenager. Saddled with the Thirty Years War between Protestants and Catholics, Kristina steers her country away from the conservatives while privately grappling with her own sexual awakening, in the form of Countess Ebba Sparre (the radiant Sarah Gadon), her lovely lady-in-waiting. Her quest to understand love runs parallel with her quest to understand humanity and the violent and restrictive forces conspiring against her. Torn between the conflict of political and personal aspirations, Kristina chooses to make one of the most controversial decisions in history.

The film’s epic screenplay by Michel Marc Bouchard (Lilies, Tom at the Farm) is brought to the screen by esteemed director Mika Kaurismäki. The Girl King stars Malin Buska (Easy Money, Happy End) in the title role as well as Sarah Gadon (Belle, Enemy, Cosmopolis, The Amazing Spiderman 2, Dracula Untold), Michael Nyqvist (Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Lucas Bryant (Haven, The Vow), Laura Birn (Purge, Inner Trial), Hippolyte Giradot (Lady Chatterly), Peter Lohmeyer (The Miracle of Bern, Killer Condom), Francois Arnaud (The Borgias), Patrick Bauchau (Boy Culture) and Martina Gedeck (Night Train to Lisbon, The Nun, The Lives of Others).

The post The Girl King first appeared on Lesbian.com.

We spoke with ‘The Girl King’ star, Malin Buska and now we continue our coverage of the Finnish film. ‘The Girl King,’ stars Malin Buska as queer, gender bending, Queen Kristina and is directed by Mika Kaurismäki. I sat down with the accomplished director to discuss his vision for the film, the uniqueness of the rule-breaking Queen Kristina of Sweden and what he hopes audiences will take away from the film.

What was your vision for the film? 

I tried to imagine the struggle for a young girl today trying to figure out what to do with her life. I tried to see Kristina as a young girl from that time today. I tried to make it very modern for today’s audiences.

This is a film about a genderqueer, lesbian/bisexual queen. But the screenplay was written by a man and also directed by one. Where were the women’s voices during the creative process? 

It was a very long process. It took years. We had many script rewrites with many different perspectives. But this is the final one we went with.

We had great writers and the screenplay was very well researched. We tried to take a direct, modern approach.

Director Mika Kaurismaki on the set of ‘The Girl King’

How did you choose what time period of her life to cover? 

We chose to cover, in-depth, a ten year span of her life when the most controversial parts happened. We tried to cover the three main elements of her life- her father figure, her life after that and we kept coming back to these 10 years. Because so much happens. Kristina changed history and the country in general during this time.

Queen Kristina has been portrayed on the silver screen before, by Greta Garbo, who came to be a sex symbol for American queen women. How did you try to either distance your version of Kristina from Garbo or play off it? 

Greta wanted to make a very different story from the one offered her [by Hollywood.] She wanted the love story with Sparre included. But Hollywood wasn’t ready for that type of romance at the time. I think she would like our version!

You are a very established director, many Americans are familiar with your work with Johnny Depp and Julie Delpy. How has ‘The Girl King’ differed from your work in the past? 

It was a very different process. I had to be in Kristina’s head all the time. It’s hard to get into someone’s mind. It was also different because Kristina is an historical figure, we know quite a lot about her. When I was a child, I remember reading about her in history class and it resonated with me. She was exciting and a free spirit who challenged many things.

What do you hope audiences take away from the film?

I hope that they can see the parallels between that time and today. That so much has changed, but that young people are still trying to find themselves and their place in the world. I hope that young audiences see some of themselves in Kristina.

Watch The Girl King – premiering 12/8 on WolfeOnDemand.com and in limited release in theaters now!

*This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity 

The post Interview with Mika Kaurismäki, Director of ‘The Girl King’  first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com

Malin Buska as Queen Kristina alongside Sarah Gadon as Kristina’s love interest, Ebba Sparre.

There has been much buzz around Finnish movie, ‘The Girl King.’ The movie is based on the life of the Swedish monarch Queen Kristina.  Queen Kristina’s life is a riveting subject for historians. She was raised as a prince of the time would have been- meaning that she was highly educated in the subjects needed to one day rule a kingdom. This set Kristina apart from her contemporaries- both male and female- and in ‘The Girl King’ posited as a reason she challenges gender stereotypes and even falls in love with a woman. I spoke with actress Malin Buska on what motivates Kristina and how her spirit can inspire young people today.

Thanks for taking the time to speak with me, Malin. Would you call ‘The Girl King’ a romance movie? 

I would say it’s about a person that wants to live a free life. A person that is searching for a life that will allow for free will. Kristina was a woman before her time in many ways of thinking- before our time even. She was curious about life, she was a real free spirit. She wanted to educate people and make them more sophisticated. Art, science, philosophy – she was raised as a boy and had access to education in these subjects and then put on the throne.

How was playing the role of Queen Kristina challenging for you? 

She was very controversial. “The man who chooses his own path needs no maps.” She refused to get married, abdicated the throne and converted. At the time, it would be as if one of [George W.] Bush’s daughters has gone over to Al Qaeda. That’s how shocking it was.

How did you prepare for the role? 

A lot of reading her diaries and books I could find about her so I could understand her. It’s not easy to do the right thing. She was very conflicted. She was very confident but also hated herself deeply.

My middle name is also Kristina so I feel like it was meant to be!

What is harder to play a lesbian character? 

If you are a free spirit and follow your own truth, it doesn’t matter if [love] is with a guy or a girl. It’s a simple thing. But they even opened her grave to see if she had a homosexual gene! Kristina and Ebba Sparre had quite the love story. Kristina could never forget her.

Everything I do, I do as well as I can. It was not more difficult. I’m not into women myself, but it doesn’t really matter.

What was the mood like on set? 

It was stressful. We had a very tight schedule and were working all the time. The production was 35 days. But the extras and the crew were fantastic. I enjoyed it. There were so many lovely moments behind the scenes.

What was your favorite behind the scenes moment? 

Before filming I was isolated in a cottage. I did a lot of horseback riding and reflecting. It was a great thing to do. And when Mika [Mika Kaurismäki, the film’s director] came to get me, it was beautiful.

What do you want fans to take away from the film? 

It’s important that we are filling our hearts and walking our own way. Carry your heart on your sleeve and be curious. These are all the things Kristina was fighting for and that we should all be fighting for.

Watch The Girl King – premiering 12/8 on WolfeOnDemand.com and in limited release in theaters now!

*This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity 

The post Interview with Malin Buska, Star of ‘The Girl King’  first appeared on Lesbian.com.