THE DANISH GIRL (2015)

Genre: Drama
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw, Adrian Schiller
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: R21 (Mature Theme)
Released By: UIP 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 7 January 2016

Synopsis: A remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Their marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Movie Review:

In the spirit of award ceremonies, you can expect many (insensitive?) jabs when English actor Eddie Redmayne’s performance in this film is cited. The 33 year old actor is already picking up countless nominations for playing a transgender in Tom Hooper’s latest work. Depending on the producers’ willingness to take risks, jokes may involve whether Redmayne should be nominated in the Best Actor or Best Actress category. However, as far as published reviews go, the up and coming actor has turned in yet another exceptional critically acclaimed portrayal of a real life character.

After nabbing the Best Actor accolade at last year’s Academy Awards by playing Stephen Hawking in James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, he takes on another role which screams “Give me another Oscar”. This time, he plays Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. The fictitious love story told in this film is inspired by the Danish artist and his partner Gerda Wegener, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by David Ebershoff.

Hooper, himself an Oscar winner for Best Director for 2010’s The King Speech, knows how to draw out the best from his cast. Expectedly, Redmayne gives it his all to play the protagonist who is visibly in much emotional pain, seeing how he is struggling with who he really is. We see the character go through episode after episode of wanting to break out of his sexuality, and albeit they are nothing groundbreaking (you’ve probably seen such scenarios if you’re familiar with queer cinema), they work for the mainstream audience. And this is probably where you think to yourself, if this film is meant as an Oscar bait, then there are certain elements which have to appeal to the widest possible group of viewers. With that mindset, you can enjoy the film for what it is – a love story.

While Redmayne is getting all the attention, let it be known that the star who really shines in this 120 minute film is Alicia Vikander. The Swedish actress, who has caught our attention for her stellar performance in Ex Machina (2015), plays Gerda – a woman who was in love with a man who is gradually disappearing. Yet, she supports his journey to find his true identity till the end. The affecting and poignant performances are varied to show the different stages of her perspective – from disbelief and helplessness, to supportive and being a pillar of hope. The 27 year old actress, who has gotten quite a fair bit of Hollywood recognition with her roles in Burnt (2015) and The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015) is the bright young star to watch out for this season.

With the story set in the 1920s, one can expect a visual feast. The filmmakers have painstakingly recreated the era by filming in London, Berlin, Copenhagenand Brussels, and by featuring the art pieces and props used during that time. A lush music score composed by Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game) complements the handsome visuals. You can expect nominations in the art direction, costume and original score categories during the award season.

No doubt this film is made to shine at the major festivals, but let us set aside cynicism and embrace humanity in relationships. 

Movie Rating:

(Although safe in its depiction of a controversially intriguing subject matter, the film is still a winner – thanks to engaging and powerful performances from Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander)

Review by John Li