Dyrholm , who played Nico , received critical acclaim for her performance . '' Variety '' hailed her as " a powerhouse of authenticity . Her moroseness is mesmerizing , but she also gives Nico a tense intelligence , and her singing is uncanny . " '' The Los Angeles Times '' also raved about Dyrholm as " an actress of formidable presence " , giving " strong , truthful , unflinching performance that powers the film the way Christa 's energy powered the bands she was in those late days " . '' The New York Times '' also praised how Dyrholm was photographed in " brutally unforgiving close-up " , saying that it " fully captures the faded charisma of the singer " in the last year of her existence . Joe Morgenstern in '' Wall Street Journal '' emphased , saying : " I ’ve never seen a performance quite like it — unsparingly harsh , but also graceful , droll and tender , a portrait of soul-weariness laced with a yearning for salvation . " At the Venice Film Festival in 2017 , it won the Orrizonti Award for Best Film . At the Donatellos in 2018 , ( which work in Italy on the same criteria as the Oscars ) , it won the Best Original Script award , and was nomimated in the Best Films category . At the 9th Magritte Awards , it received a nomination in the category of Best Foreign Film in Coproduction
9th Magritte Awards
9th Magritte Awards
Nico, 1988