Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg, ‘The Secret Woman,’ also known as ‘Den Hemmelige Kvinde,’ is a Norwegian psychological thriller movie that follows Louise Andersen, a soon-to-be-married cafe owner who learns that her entire life might be a lie. When people tell her that her real name is actually Helene Söderberg, and that she is already married and has a son, her very identity begins to crack. That’s not all, though, as she learns that something went wrong in the days and weeks before her disappearance, and it all connects back to the shipping company that her family has owned over the years. Based on the eponymous novel by Anders Rønnow Klarlund and Jacob Weinreich, the story reaches its end, grasping for answers to the grander mysteries and slowly piecing Helene’s mind back together. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Secret Woman Plot Synopsis
‘The Secret Woman’ begins with a woman climbing over a bridge as someone seemingly chases after her. Panicked and desperate, she jumps down as the scene cuts to a scenic island in Norway. The same woman, named Louise Andersen, can be seen running a cafe along with her partner Joachim, who also happens to be a budding writer. One day, a Danish stranger approaches Louise as if they are already acquaintances, calling her Helene instead. When she refuses to engage, the man returns once again, this time to her home. As it turns out, Louise has no memory of her life beyond the last few years, and this serves as the final straw. Heading to the police station, she confesses to taking on a fake identity after she woke up at a local hospital, amnesiac, and with several injuries.
The name Louise Andersen came from an ID card she was carrying when she was found, and the police soon uncovered that the real Louise was a sex worker who had died. The Louise we see, though, is actually Helene Söderberg, heir to a major shipping empire, who went missing years ago. That’s not all, as Helene also has a husband, Edmund, and a little son, Alexander, who have since presumed that she died by suicide. Their reunion is abrupt and an emotional mess; at this point, Helene has no memory of them and is committed to Joachim. Nonetheless, she decides to spend a few days at her childhood mansion, hoping to remember more of her past and why she got into the accident in the first place.
As it turns out, Helene started acting differently in the months leading up to her accident, and Edmund believes it was the stress of taking care of her dying father, Aksel Söderberg. Curiously enough, Aksel was found dead after falling down the staircase, and not long after that, Helene disappeared as well. In the present, she tries to retrace her steps, landing upon a name, Elisabeth Fauerskov. Years ago, she had tried to warn Helene about a human trafficking ring operating from within the company, but that matter got covered up right after Helene’s disappearance. It soon becomes apparent that Edmund is not the man he pretends to be, and it doesn’t take him long to resort to force, manipulation, and even sedatives to keep Helene in the house until she decides to rebel.
The Secret Woman Ending: Will Edmund Go to Prison? Is Caroline Dead or Alive?
‘The Secret Woman’ ends by revealing Edmund as the story’s grand antagonist, and he ultimately gets arrested for his crimes. The turning point in the story comes when Helene remembers what her father was telling her at his deathbed, about Edmund leading a human trafficking network using their shipping industry as a cover. It is this revelation that pushed Helene over the edge, and as she started furiously looking into the company’s darker secrets, Edmund launched an elaborate plan to make her look mentally unstable. Although things briefly got out of his control when Helene jumped onto the ship and disappeared for a few years, Edmund ultimately found her in Norway and kept a lid on her secret identity until it was convenient for him to bring her back.
Edmund is not the only mastermind behind the shipping company’s criminal endeavors, as this entire journey actually began with his mother, Caroline, who served as Aksel Söderberg’s secretary at one point. While we mostly know her as Alexander’s loving grandmother, this reveal almost flips a switch, as she doesn’t shy away from unleashing her real plan, that of killing Helene. In reality, Aksel’s mysterious death was not a coincidence either, as it’s Caroline who pushed him to his death, just for her son to claim all the power. With Helene returning to the scene, that power is threatened once again, especially with Helene discovering the secret human trafficking network. However, Caroline’s attempts to kill her aren’t so well received by Edmund, and it is this disagreement that causes their undoing.
Though Caroline has always seen Helene as a stepping stone in her plan to control the company, Edmund ended up actually falling for her. Those feelings persist even today, albeit in an extremely twisted form, which is why he physically intervenes between Caroline and Helene at the climax. This gap, though, allows Helene to slip past momentarily and strike Caroline with enough force that she falls through a window, and to her death. When Edmund rushes down to his mother, abandoning all instincts of self-preservation, Helene gets enough time to protect herself as the police arrive. The USB drive already has more than enough proof of Edmund’s wrongdoings, and with this entire scene playing out, it is very likely that Helene gets the justice she deserves.
Does Helene Get Her Memories Back? Who Killed Louise Andersen?
In the final moments of the film, Helene confirms that all of her memories are slowly returning, just as she begins settling into her new life. While she already remembers small, deeply personal details, like her nickname for Alexander, getting all of her memories back means that she can merge both halves of her life and come back stronger than ever. The key to this lies in remembering how she lost her memories in the first place, as it all connects back to that fated night atop Fykesesund Bridge. After learning about the human trafficking ring operating via J.M. Shipping containers, Helene decided to talk to one of the survivors, Louise Andersen, who seemingly had all the evidence that could get the culprit behind bars. However, Edmund somehow got to know of this and acted swiftly.
A flashback sequence reveals that the real Louise Andersen was killed by none other than Edmund, who hit her with his car while trying to stop Helene. While it is unlikely that he would have killed Helene in that moment, she certainly interpreted it as a do-or-die moment. After spotting a ship going right under the bridge, she decided to take a leap of faith, landing right on top of it, but with severe injuries. Edmund likely presumed that Helene had died after the jump, which is why it took him a while to locate her. By then, Helene had already recovered and begun a new life, under Louise Andersen’s identity.
The readiness with which Helene adopted the name and persona was likely her subconscious trying to escape Edmund’s toxic grip by whatever means possible, but it is only much later that she is actually able to defeat him. By taking on Louise’s name, she essentially carries forward her legacy while not even realizing it, and this is best depicted by her obsession with the compact mirror. While the cracks in the mirror serve as an explicit symbol of her identity crisis, the real twist lies in the USB hidden inside the mirror, reconnecting her to the truth and, ultimately, to her older self. Very soon, she will likely remember every bit of her memories, but the real question is whether this new, evolved version of her can still be defined as Louise or Helene.
Do Helene and Joachim Get Back Together? Where is Alex?
Helene and Joachim tie the knot and move back to Norway by the end of the movie, confirming that Helene, as her complete self, still wishes for a life of quiet and happiness with her partner. Meanwhile, Alex, who is kept out of the story for quite some time as Edmund’s way of putting pressure on her, is ultimately revealed to be alive and safe. With Edmund gone, Alex moves in with Helene and Joachim, joining them in moving to Norway. It is likely that Edmund is convicted of his crimes and put behind bars off-screen in the meantime, which is why the trio is able to lead their lives so comfortably, with Alex slowly learning to settle in with his new family.
Although we don’t get to see a lot of Helene and Joachim’s love story before the reveal of her real identity, it is enough to notice that there are no ulterior motives behind Joachim’s actions, unlike Edmund’s. Though the latter claims to love Helene, he doesn’t shy away from using violence and manipulation to keep her under his control. In reality, what he considers love is more of an exercise in possessing Helene as an object rather than a person, which is why he doesn’t think twice before stripping her of all agency the moment she resists his actions. Joachim, by comparison, loves Helene for who she is, without any need to know about her past and her connections to the shipping empire, which is why their love story eventually triumphs over Edmund.
Read More: Is The Secret Woman Based on a True Story?
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