Swedish born actress and dancer Alicia Vikander is one of the fastest rising star of the year. With a recent Oscar nod for her role in the Tom Hooper film The Danish Girl, Alicia is now an in-demand talent with future projects starring alongside Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender, and Christoph Waltz to name a few.
As a foreign actress, Alicia slowly climbed her way to the American scene when the Swedish film A Royal Affair got nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 2013 Academy Awards which she starred with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen.
She then played supporting roles in the films Anna Karenina, The Fifth Estate, Son of a Gun but not until the Alex Garland helmed sci-fi film Ex-Machina, did Alicia get the attention she clearly deserves, and the rest, as they say is history.
Prepared to be enchanted. Here are the top 8 best Alicia Vikander films you need to see.
8. The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015, Guy Ritchie)
Based from the 1964 television series of the same name, The Man from U.N.C.L.E is set during the height of the Cold War.
American CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) must team up to stop a criminal organization with plans to use nuclear weapons to ruin the balance of power between the US and Soviet Union. Alicia Vikander plays Gaby, a mechanic and a decoy who joins Napoleon for the mission. She happens to have a secret of her own, too.
The adaptation wasn’t as bold, but it remained to be glamorous and classy with Guy Ritchie’s signature style of film making. Alicia stood her own as a tough agent playing alongside actors known for doing action films. We first see Alicia in an action film in The Man from U.N.C.L.E and she definitely fits in that environment.
7. Testament of Youth (2014, James Kent)
The historical accounts in the film Testament of Youth is based from the biographical novel written by Vera Brittain, played in the film by Alicia Vikander. Vera is an ambitious and bright Oxford student who postpones her studies to be a Nurse during World War I while her suitor, brother, and a secret admirer face death in the trenches.
The film is a story about young love, war, and survival when everything is at the brink of death. Alicia commanded the screen with strength and vulnerability. She was able to portray Vera’s complex nature of fierce individuality, a romantic, and a mature yet with an innocent soul. The film showcased the despair and inefficacy of World War I as seen through a young woman’s eyes.
Kit Harrington, Taron Egerton, and Colin Morgan co-star as the most important men in Vera’s life. They make a good team. Each actor plays their character exquisitely beautiful. Fans of British period dramas will be in for an adventurous experience.
6. Anna Karenina (2012, Joe Wright)
Joe Wright’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic tale takes on a theatrical version and is both energetic and visually stunning.
Anna Karenina is an epic history drama adapted from the 1877 novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy. Keira Knightley stars as Anna Karenina, a high-society wife of a Russian imperial minister (Jude Law) who faced a scandal when she had an affair with Count Vronsky, a charismatic cavalry officer, played by Aaron Taylor- Johnson.
Alicia Vikander plays Princess Kitty, a frivolous young woman, typical of those born in high society who are unafraid to do what is right even if it defied social norms. Kitty is pursued by Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) a farmer, but Kitty only has eyes for Count Vronsky.
While still commercially unknown during this time, Alicia portrayed Kitty to perfection- with elegance, passion, and pure originality. She’s has one of those faces (and talent) that will always stand out.
5. Hotell (2013, Lisa Langseth)
Alicia Vikander plays Erika, a woman with a perfect job, good friends, and a stable relationship until one event caused everything to crash down, even her own life. Erika sought to find anonymity with a group of people she met in group therapy. Together, they check in to hotels and help one another recover from their mental states.
Hotell is a Swedish film directed by Lisa Langseth. This is Alicia and Lisa Langseth’s second film together. It’s a small independent film. Here, we see Alicia in a different role- a role that showcased a darker side to her.
We see her as a vulnerable woman, whose mental state is nothing but stable. She tries to help her friends, but finds it difficult to reconstruct her own life. Hotell explores the seriousness of depression and anxiety. The film is a bit hard to watch but you’ll definitely appreciate and enjoy Alicia’s outstanding performance.