The
Danish Girl is a remarkable account of the transgender experience, not only
from the subject’s point of view but for those close to him/her as well. David Ebershoff’s book on which the
film is based is a fictionalized account that used a transgender person’s diary
for inspiration. In the hands of
screenwriter Lucinda Coxon and director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and their fellow filmmakers, the drama blossoms
into a visually beautiful, lyrical production with emotional realism and
depth.
A young Danish couple, Einar (Redmayne) and
Gerda (Vikander) (immeasurably more attractive than their names!), are both
painters, she of portraits and he of landscapes. He is better known, partly because this is in the 1920’s
when women were “not supposed” to be painters. They are obviously in love and playful with one another, and
in one of their games, they dress him up as a woman to pose for her
portraits. It turns out that he
revels in the feel of the fabric, moving like a woman, and calling himself
Lili. He shrinks from art shows;
but once, for fun, they dress him up as a woman to attend a benefit, and he is
hit upon by Henrik (Whishaw) who tries to kiss him.
The problem is that he so enjoys his “woman-ness” he
goes into an identity crisis, starts dressing like a woman frequently at home,
and it begins to affect his relationship with Gerda. Eventually he realizes that he has always been female on the
inside.
One of the strengths of the film is that Gerda
is not shown to freak out in response
to these changes, but is genuinely troubled because she loves Einar. And her love is the kind we always
seek—one that flexes with change and sees into the soul of the other
person. She sticks by him
throughout his major decisions while still giving him room to explore, and she
eventually accepts him as Lili.
“We have to let Einer go”, Lili advises her at a sensitive moment, and
she does.
Redmayne is as good at playing a woman as he
was in playing Stephen Hawking in The
Theory of Everything, for which he won an Oscar earlier this year. Vikander is bursting on the Hollywood
scene with premium and very diverse performances in Ex Machina, Testament of Youth, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Burnt—all
this year! Both Schoenaerts and
Whishaw contribute to the quality of the film in their supporting roles.
Danny Cohen’s cinematography and Alexandre
Desplat’s music play essential roles in making this a top-notch film. The beginning and ending scenes of the
Danish fiords are redolent with nostalgia and longing, and Cohen’s capturing
Lili’s sensual qualities are palpable.
He has received awards from the American Academy, BAFTA, and the Golden
Globes for his work in The Grand Budapest
Hotel, The Painted Veil and The King’s Speech along with numerous
nominations for other films.
Desplat’s compositions always seems to capture the mood and essence of
the films he scores, most notably, The
Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Philomena, and he does it
again in The Danish Girl.
A film to help you understand and
marvel at the power of love.
Grade: A By Donna R. Copeland
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