Loving Adults Plot Synopsis
The Danish crime drama movie “Loving Adults” on Netflix, originally called “Kaerlighed for voksne”, is centered on Anna Ekberg’s book “Krlighed For Voksne”. The movie tells the tale of Christian and Leonora, a pair who are shackled to a loveless union.
On the surface, they seem to have it all and lead ideal lives. This is especially true after their son recovers from a severe, prolonged illness. But when Leonora spots her partner at a party with his co-worker Xenia, some skeletons in the closet are brought to light.
Loving Adults, which is directed by Barbara Rothenborg, paints a very unsettling image of an unhappy marriage. It resembles “Gone Girl” in appearance, but it is nastier.
The couple attempts to mend their failing marriage in an unconventional way. Christian chooses to cheat on his partner Leonora, but she keeps him around by withholding information from his past – and her husband is motivated to kill her for doing so.
Christian attempts to kill Leonora but his plan backfires and his life takes a somewhat catastrophic turn. What happens next causes Leonora and Christian’s relationship to become even more deranged and diabolical. To rectify the situation after being pressurized by his wife Christian decides to commit yet another murder, which breeds yet another, leaving a rather horrifying chaos in its aftermath.
Why does Leonora choose to give up her career?
Leonora played the violin meticulously. Although her professional career appeared promising, she had to abandon her dreams when her son fell ill. She wanted somebody to cater to his needs at home while her partner, Christian, went out to work.
Leonora thus sacrificed her career and everything else for which she had spent her entire life working. However, she was content with her decision since it was aiding her family.
Everything changes though when she learns that Christian had fallen in love with another woman named Xenia. To make matters worse, he did so while she was providing care and support to their son as he battled cancer.
Why does Christian try to murder Leonora?
Christian decides that it’s time for them to get divorced seeing that their child has made a full recovery and appears to be in good health. The challenge is, that at this point, Leonora’s life is made up solely of their marriage.
Since she hasn’t played the violin in years, she is unable to resume her profession. Much like the former wife of one of Christian’s mates, she doesn’t wish to take a job at the grocery store. She refuses to get a divorce from Christian too, despite his claims that he’s in love with a different woman.
Christian is given a choice by Leonora: stay with her or serve time in prison for the financial crimes he has previously committed. Either choice, he will not marry Xenia.
Christian becomes enraged when Leonora corners him; he plans to kill her but accidentally ends up killing somebody else, which causes further complications for him and Leonora.
Why does Leonora kill Xenia?
Leonora changes the dynamics of the situation and orders Christian to murder his mistress, Xenia. Leonora is armed with far more powerful means to blackmail her husband, and so Christian has no choice other than to obey her terms. The atrocity Christian and Leonora are about to pull off is being plotted by Leonora. Christian is pushed to accomplish the mission as she fabricates an impenetrable alibi for them. By making reservations for a vacation at a spa, Leonora gives herself and Christian the ideal cover story.
She uses different methods, including sound, as somewhat of an alibi, and tries to make sure that people notice them. Or, at the very least, listen to them speaking. Christian manages to sneak away to murder Xenia while Leonora sustains the made-up story and makes it seem as though her husband has always been by her side.
Christian however, fails in his attempt to kill the woman he loves. Given that he’s deeply in love with Xenia, Leonora is aware that Christian might change his mind. When she visits Xenia’s home, she learns that Christian had slept with her instead, confirming her suspicions.
Christian fails in his attempt to kill the woman he loves and Leonora murders Xenia instead. Following this, she sweeps the house and changes the bed covers to ensure that no traces of their DNA remains behind.
What does the couple do with Xenia’s body?
The following day, during the exploration regarding the murder, investigators discover no body or proof. Discovering the corpse is one of the most important steps in solving a murder. It often helps identify the perpetrators and therefore it can expose a significant amount of information about the criminal offense. Any evidence of the couple’s appearance in the house had been completely removed.
Leonora and Christian discover an excellent way to dispose of the corpse. They were making preparations for the Midsummer ceremony in the days leading up to Xenia’s murder while Christian had been debating about whether or not to bring up the subject of divorce.
The morning after Xenia’s passing, Christian had prepared a bonfire with his companion in the heart of the lake. They, therefore, decide on doing the one thing they could accomplish in public without anyone knowing and without leaving any clues for the police to find. Rather than trying to bury her or resorting to any other approach, Xenia’s body is placed in the fire.
Why does Detective Holger think Christian is guilty?
During the hit-and-run inquiry, Detective Holger seems to have doubts about Christian. When he learns that Christian and Xenia were seeing each other, he realizes that disposing of her body would be advantageous to him if they had intimate relations before her death. He undertakes a thorough investigation of the area as he is aware that discovering Xenia’s body is crucial to arresting her killer.
This search brings him towards the lake. However, nobody realizes that the dogs are constantly pointing toward the fireplace in the center. Xenia’s body is burned in broad daylight, as the investigators observe from the opposite side of the lake an anxious Christian rushing to start the bonfire. When Holger finally understands what has transpired, he is powerless to stop it.
Xenia’s bones are still present, but they are much simpler to dispose of once the body is burned. The final scene shows Christian and Leonora traveling to a distant lake where Christian tosses the bones into the water, which are never recovered.
Do Christian and Leonora continue their relationship?
A duo who kills together ends up staying together, primarily since they can gain access to the other person’s wrongdoing, and divorce is not an option in their situation without jail. Leonora understands that if love cannot bring them together, murder will.
Initially, when Christian discuss getting a divorce, she managed to stop him by pressurizing him that she’d go to the police regarding the tax scam he’d managed to pull at his firm. Christian couldn’t afford a prison sentence or a tarnished reputation for his company, therefore the only option left before him was to murder Leonora – this also doesn’t go to plan.
A murder case would prevent Christian from ever looking at another woman. Although Leonora seems to have leverage over Christian because of the woman she had killed, she was also in danger as a result of her position. Christian would consider her a threat in this circumstance and one day he would have killed her.
Leonora decides that having leverage over each other would be the best way to truly solidify their bond. Christian would not feel intimidated by Leonora and would have an equal amount of control over her this way.
The movie’s conclusion gives the impression that Leonora’s strategy was successful. Christian decides that it’s wise to stay with his partner now that Xenia is out of the picture, and since he has three criminal activities on his record. He also understands that Leonora, as destructive as she can be, is the same person who frequently rescues him from troublesome circumstances.
So, after getting rid of Xenia’s body, they move out and relocate, perhaps to start over somewhere new or, at the very least, to establish some distance from the detective who had begun to harbor suspicions about them. Christian says goodbye to his earlier days and gets ready to spend the remaining years with Leonora.
Nice review of a dark film. I kept wishing Christian would complete his early impulse – to turn himself into the police. It all goes to prove that one bad thing, in Christian’s case, his financial crime, and in Lenora’s case, the murder of her prior lover, leads to another.
You forgot to mention that Leonora killed before in premeditated fashion due to jealousy, to strike fear into Christian.
Great analysis!
A great movie… Great review as well.
Crazy couple…. Just like Gone Girl.