When Astrid Lindgren was very young something happened that affected her profoundly, and this combination of both miracle and calamity came to shape her entire life. It was an event that transformed her into one of the most inspiring women of our age and the storyteller a whole world would come to love. This is the story of when a young Astrid, despite the expectations of her time and religious upbringing, decided to break free from society’s norms and follow her heart.
Pippi Longstocking has sometimes been called an icon of feminist girl-power. If "Becoming Astrid' makes anything clear, it's that the character's creator was something of one herself.
Becoming Astrid's saving grace is Alba August. She is in almost every frame of this film, and gives life to what, on paper, amounts to a Lifetime channel biopic.
Though "Becoming Astrid" is unflinching in its depictions of Astrid's pain, it does not wallow. A shallower story would be rife with villains, but there are none here.
Christensen portrays Lindgren as a born storyteller but delves into the vital time in her development when confounding expectation gave way to building her own narrative.
Hansen's relaxed camera movements and fuzzy-soft compositions are quite beautiful, and the performances - including the superb Trine Dyrholm as the baby's Danish foster mother - are pitch-perfect.
Throughout "Becoming Astrid," August acquits herself brilliantly; the woman we come to know is a tangle of impulses and qualities, and feels vibrantly alive.
