“It’s hard for a man to be looked at by
a woman”
In 1926 Copenhagen, husband and wife
couple Einar (Eddie Redmayne) and
Gerda (Alicia Vikander) Wegener are
both working as painters honing their craft.
Although Einar has had success in displaying his landscapes, Gerda is
being told that her portraits are not yet worthy of exhibition. In order to help finish her latest work,
Einar agrees to model some tights, shoes and a dress, which starts to awaken a
growing desire in him. And so when Einar
refuses to attend a tiresome artist’s ball, they decide that Gerda should
instead accompany a new alter ego, Lili.
Redmayne portrays Lili with a passionate
curiosity as she begins to take on a life of her own outside from Einar,
including as Lily begins to see other men from the art world including the
amorous Henrik (Ben Whirshaw), and as
the unsympathetic Dr. Hexler (Pip
Torrens) tries to exorcise Lily through radiation therapy. As the film advances, Redmayne learns to
mimic the movements of the glamorous woman around him, not unlike his
extraordinary physical transformation in The
Theory of Everything.
Yet for all of Lili / Einar’s mystique,
the film’s central character is undeniably Gerda – an amazing woman with
patience, tolerance and pride for Lili’s transformation. In any other film Gerda’s partner would be
the villain considering the way that Gerda is treated – lied to, cheated on and
eventually quasi-abandoned – yet because Lili /Einar are framed as the troubled
hero(ine), Vikander’s performance is all the more subtle and compelling.
Director Tom Hooper once more reunites production designer Eve Stewart with director of
photography Danny Cohen to construct
a rich and persuasive period piece in interwar Denmark. The attention to detail and focus on the
costumes and art of the time create a vivid visual palette that make 1920s
Paris and Copenhagen stunning.
Especially during the numerous party scenes amongst the art crowds
The transgender movement had a great year
in 2015, and will no doubt continue to become more visible and established in
the year to come. And because The Danish Girl is based on the true
story of Lili
Elbe it is, of course, a poignant and powerful story to tell. Yet it is interesting to think how the film
would have been received when it was still a passion project with Nicole Kidman
attached back in 2004. Thankfully, the times
they have a’ changed…
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