Review of The Danish Girl (2015) by Orlando O — 04 Jan 2016

The Danish Girl seems to have everything going for this biographical drama film, that is directed by Award winning Tom Hooper and a talented actor like Eddie Redmayne. Hooper did a great job in The Kings Speech and Les Miserables film. Redmayne under his direction seems like a perfect match, doing a film about a transgender and the personâ(TM)s struggle within themselves. It is a beautiful direction, at times, a film about two married artists, making a living, selling their paintings and creating a woman figure known as Lili. The film does feel like one artistic painting, as we see Einar (Eddie Redmayne) slowly transition as Lili.

Einar and Gerda (Alicia Vikander) are talented artists and happily married. Gerda, paintings are a success with a woman figure known as Lili. When Gerdaâ(TM)s model is absent, she asks Einar to pose and dress as Lili. Gerda and Einar wanted to make a joke out of it, by having him dress as Lili for her art convention. Einar, is so believable as Lili, even Henrik (Ben Whishaw) falls for her. Einar, starts feeling like he is a woman living in a manâ(TM)s body. After Gerda catches him cross dressing, and is feeling distraught about wanting her husband back. Gerda, accepts Lili for who he is trying to be.

It is truly moving as an emotional picture, Eddie Redmayne did give a great performance. Alicia Vikander, also did a fantastic job, portraying an artist as Gerda, and a wife, who is broken up as she sees her husband, slowly transitioning, while still being supportive to Lili. As Gerda tries to get help by Hans (Matthias Schnoenaerts) and physicians, who all assume Einar is mentally ill and needs to be locked away for his cross dressing behaviors. Redmayne portraying Einar, as he felt like there is more to that ionic figure in the paintings, as she finally came to be that figure. He did give a strong emotional performance, as Lili. Tom Hooperâ(TM)s direction was also a beautiful period film, especially, how he handled a hot topic of transsexual and handling the simple story of Gerda and Einar/Lili relationship and Lili being the first patient to go through sex reassignment procedure.

The film does lack in having depth with such a small story. The main focus point was showing Redmayneâ(TM)s struggle internally, as the audience sees him glancing at womanâ(TM)s clothing, boots, nightwear, ect. Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander steal the show with their beautiful performances, in an emotional strong love story.