A Royal Affair: Nikolaj Arcel’s historical drama tells the story of a young queen, who has an affair with a court member; more to the point, the man is a medical doctor who implemented many ideas of Illuminism into the equivalent of the ancien régime Denmark. The film is more political than romantic, and perhaps more engaging because of it; however, there is very little sense of character and all three protagonists are, essentially, unchanged throughout the story. Alicia Vikander plays the queen, a woman somewhat ahead of her time, unrooted and sent to a conservative society; it’s a fine but unremarkable performance. The same can be said of Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the progressive doctor. In any case, both are upstaged by the showy performance of Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as the mad king. The film is lavish: cinematographer Rasmus Videbæk is very classical, capturing well the strong work of costume designer Manon Rasmussen and production designer Niels Sejer. Editors Kasper Leick and Mikkel E.G. Nielsen give the film a nice rhythm.