Royalteen review: A surprisingly enjoyable watch

Emilie Beck and Per-Olav Sørensen's latest film, Royalteen, premiered on Netflix on August 17, 2022. It starred Mathias Storhøi and Ines Høysæter Asserson in the lead roles.

The teenage drama was an odd combination of inconsistent pacing, great acting, and a fresh but predictable premise. All of this combined to form a really entertaining watch, even if imperfect in many places.

The film is adapted from a famous novel by Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen, titled Arvingen. It was much like most teenage romances but dealt with some sensitive issues like adolescent pregnancy, while holding on to its core as a romantic drama.

Despite its flaws, Royalteen was a fascinating watch that can grab a viewer's attention from the beginning and hold on to it significantly well. Some credit for this goes to the excellent actors.

Read on for a detailed review of Royalteen.

*Spoilers ahead

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Royalteen review: Surprisingly easy, shockingly deep

One of the most interesting things about Royalteen is the latent mystery surrounding the characters. It has a party prince with a reputation for being a menace and a simple girl with an unknown history.

The film manages to set up pieces of the puzzle significantly well for viewers to slowly put together a concrete narrative in their heads. All the while, it also conceals Lena's true secret till the last quarter.

Starting with a rather abrupt burst of speed, the film paced itself out very well with the budding romance between the newbie and the crown prince. It did not feel rushed or forced, some of which is due to the massively engaging chemistry between the leads. The film eased into the second half with this well-curated pace but changed abruptly again.

The second half of the film felt eerily rushed, but not necessarily in a bad way. The film hit the accelerator again, bombarding viewers with revelations. As Lena's story slowly started to come out, the film became more character driven.

However, it wasn't until Margrethe (Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne) came in to threaten the newbie that the film really hit its peak. The new revelation was both jarring and socially relevant.

From here on, Royalteen followed a more basic rom-com approach, starting with acceptance and ending with a reunion of the lovers. Throughout the process of re-igniting love and accepting one's faults, the film dealt with some really troubling social issues and stigmas, like teenage pregnancy. This was a bolder approach for a romantic drama than most films dare to try. It is one of the things that sets this one apart.

The technical aspects of the film also worked wonders in portraying the troubled teenage years, with great sound and lighting helping in the process. There are some incredible shots, like that of the boat and the flashbacks, that brought out the brilliantly executed technical aspects of the film.

After working so well in almost every aspect, the final shot felt a little forced. It was both unnecessary at the moment and out of context. Understandably, the filmmakers were trying to set up a cliffhanger, but with no context, it just felt out of place.

All in all, Royalteen is a good and entertaining watch that shouldn't be missed. It is now streaming on Netflix.