From sweaty dance floors to public advocacy, Alexandra, the nightclub queen who became a pioneer in the fight for women's health.
Olivia Kastebring's latest documentary feature paints an intimate portrait of Alexandra Charles, Stockholm's Queen of the Night. Today, as the vibrant glamour of the past fades into nostalgia, Olivia shapes a nuanced picture of strength and vulnerability. A pioneer in the fight for women's health and now grappling with the loss of her eyesight, Olivia follows Alexandra as she faces a more profound, inner purpose.
“I’m not a has-been,” says Alexandra Charles.
Olivia reflects on her vision for the film; who is Alexandra to her, and how has she evolved from the Queen of the Night ? What was it like to unravel the delicacy of what lies behind closed doors, especially for a female pioneer like Alexandra Charles?
"When I tell people my own age about Alexandra Charles, not everyone knows who she is," Olivia says. "But when I explain that she was called the “Queen of the Night” and that she, as early as 1968, started Stockholm’s very first nightclub and discotheque, their eyes take on a dreamy look."
Behind the powerful woman façade, there was something tender that captured my interest even more.
Inspired by Swinging London, the club years at Alexandra's put Sweden on the world map, attracting celebrities and ordinary people alike from all over the globe. Alexandra introduced a new way of socialising, and it was those club years which initially fascinated Olivia. But as she began documenting and following her life, the more she began to sense another side. "Behind the powerful woman façade," Olivia says, "there was something tender that captured my interest even more."
Very few people who are elevated to that status, act with the goal of becoming icons or pioneers. Someone who acts, rather than talks. That’s what makes them fascinating, and that’s exactly the kind of person Alexandra is.
In Alexandra’s 2004 Summer Talk, Alexandra says, "Today's young people do everything to be seen. If you're not seen — you don't exist."
This idea - If we're not seen, we don't exist - Olivia asks, is this just as relevant for a 76-year-old as for someone much younger? It’s a perspective that Olivia hadn't seen through the eyes of an older woman — especially one who is slowly losing her sight.
Always dedicated to her own independence and throwing herself into male-dominated domains, the idea of relinquishing control might have been a foreign idea to Alexandra in her youth. But throughout the film, as Olivia and Alexandra grew closer, there are moments of real tenderness between the two, where Olivia is doing Alexandra's makeup and nails.
A woman who has valued independence above all else and who now has to learn to ask for help. Where looking good is no longer about appearances, but about preserving control.
"Looking neat and stylish has always been a big part of Alexandra’s character," Olivia continues, "and it still is today, even as her eyesight has gradually faded. The closer we got, the more I helped her with makeup and nails. I noticed that something changed in Alexandra’s voice during those moments. Her guard was down. Visually, those scenes tell another layer of the story — of a woman who has valued independence above all else and who now has to learn to ask for help. Where looking good is no longer about appearances, but about preserving control."
Talking about some of the most memorable moments during filming, Olivia recalls the evening of a very hot day in Almedalen, after a long day of filming:
"In the middle of all the stress, a piece of music starts playing and she stops. Smiling, she wraps her arms around her dear Bengt and starts dancing, right there in the street. Her mood shifts as if by magic, and she looks like the happiest person in the world. Her zest for life is incredibly inspiring — even for me, at 37."
Having featured at Gothenburg Film Festival at the beginning of 2025, Alexandra is now about to have its official premiere in Sweden on 22nd October. Available in cinemas from 31st October.
