Royalteen review: Despite tired tropes, this Norwegian drama offers a surprisingly original tale of redemption and acceptance

2.5/5

Story:

High school is tough enough as it is. And when you’re the new student escaping her scandalous past in a school swarming with royalty, it’s the perfect recipe for disaster. Lena(Ines Høysæter Asserson) finds herself in between a rock and a hard place, tormented by memories of her difficult past while attending a new school. But an unlikely romance with the crown prince of Norway, Karl Johan(Mathias Storhøi) seems to open new doors of possibilities for her, that is if she can keep her dark secrets at bay.

Review:

A young teen royal meets an ‘ordinary’ girl, who is able to see him for what he is beyond the regal veneer, and the two fall in love. Although Royalteen’s basic premise is far from original, the film offers some refreshing surprises in its story, dealing with more than a few important and sensitive subjects that elevate the teen drama to something more than most run of the mill rom coms.

The film follows the story of Lena, a high schooler who transfers to a new school, after going through a series of traumatic incidents at her old one. But moving on is easier said than done, and the young woman finds herself still haunted by her past, until she crosses paths with the crown prince, Karl Johan or Kalle. Although Lena has her fair share of reservations, in part due to Kalle’s unsavoury reputation, she realises there is more to him than what she saw in the tabloids. As she slowly brings down the prince’s barriers, she comes under the radar of his twin sister, Margrethe. The latter is fiercely protective of her family, and her eyes Lena with suspicion. As Lena and Kalle’s relationship starts to blossom and the former finally feels like she is finding her place, the remnants of her past threaten to disrupt her new found happiness.

One of the most compelling aspects of Royalteen is how the story does not feature the usual bubbly, polished protagonist that usually features in such romcoms whose only flaw seems to be their endearing quirkiness. Through Lena, its rough around the edges protagonist, Royalteen tackles quite a few sensitive issues. Lena is realistically flawed, making mistakes and learning from them. Her character is one of the most well written characters in the film, full of depth, although she does find herself hindered by the overall insipidness that plagues most of the film’s premise. They way her past starts to unravel as the film progresses is also riveting, right upto the big reveal of her biggest secret. As the film is an adaptation of Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen’s book Arvingen, the credit for the same rightfully belongs to the authors, rather than the filmmakers to a certain point.

Another refreshing aspect of the film are the supporting characters, barring Kalle and Margrethe. They seem to be a breath of fresh air compared to the over the top and unrealistically shallow characters in teen dramas, who are usually unfairly given antagonistic hues just to make the protagonist more appealing.

But other than Lena’s arc, there is very little the film has going for it. Tired tropes dominate the narrative, including the very bland characterisation of the prince and his equally uninspired ‘evil’ sister. And barring Lena’s tumultuous grappling with her past, the film makes no effort to bring anything new to the table, and the story moves along the predictable route that anyone familiar with rom coms can expect.

Verdict:

Royalteen does some things right, most of them limited to its flawed, yet endearing protagonist Lena. But the narrative is mostly ruled over by tired tropes that figure in most run of the mill rom coms that follow the film’s basic promise, leading to a disappointing watch once the allure of Lena’s dark past is lost after it comes out in the open.