The Danish girl is loosely inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili Elbe was one of the first recipients of sex change surgery. This is a movie that could have easily been filled with exaggerated, emotional crying scenes. Instead, this movie gives us a very powerful look into what both Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener are going through. Yes, this is an emotional movie. However, that is not only due to the premise of the movie but also because of the incredibly powerful and delicate performances of the actors. This movie does have its issues. Early in the film, Gerda is criticized for painting all portraits, yet when she starts painting portraits of Lili her career suddenly takes off. I wish there had been an elaboration on what exactly made Gerda's portraits of Lili so different from her previous ones. I also would have liked to see more of what Einar went through during the actual operation. I feel like I would have understood his suffering more if there was more than just a glimpse of it. I also feel like Lili's last name was shoehorned into the film. I think this could have been added earlier. This movie also touches on a very controversial issue: that feeling the way Einar Wegener feels about himself means that there is something wrong with him. There is NOTHING wrong with being who you truly are. There are people in the world who cannot and/or will not be accepting of other people simply because of their gender, but that is only because they do not understand them. Love has no gender, and it is high time that more people accepted that.
Eddie Redmayne plays Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe. This performance is one that gets better as the film progresses, and that is due to the character development. As the movie begins, we see subtle hints that Wegener like dressing in women's clothing. He is scared and hesitant at first, but then we really see him come into his own and truly embrace Lili Elbe. Eddie Redmayne gives such a beautiful and emotional performance in every frame of the film, right down to the subtle physical movements. The scene of Einar in front of the mirror is quite well done by both Eddie Redmayne and the director, Tom Hooper.
Alicia Vikander plays Gerda Wegener. Her performance is extraordinary because instead of being an emotional wreck and crying throughout the film, she holds herself back and restricts herself emotionally as her character attempts to understand what her husband is going through. This makes Vikander's performance much more emotional. There is one scene in the movie where we see that Gerda's portraits of Lili have actually made Lili more popular than Gerda. I personally think that if there had been some elaboration on this, the film would have carried more emotional weight. Vikander's Academy Award is very well-deserved, and I cannot wait to see what her career has in store for her.
Tom Hooper is the director of the The Danish Girl. I love the way he frames this movie because there are many shots in the film, particularly of Eddie Redmayne, that are off-center. This serves as a metaphor for how lonely Einar feels throughout the film. There are also many beautiful shots of the landscape of Copenhagen that help show the passage of time. The use of muted colors throughout the film is quite brilliant as well. When it comes to the quality of work that Hooper does, he could be the next Steven Spielberg.
The Danish Girl is an extraordinary film that is emotional to watch. Every frame of the movie tells a story, and it is a story that deserves to be told. This movie breaks new ground in many ways, and for that it deserves all the recognition it has received and much more.
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