Movie Review: "The Danish Girl" (Tom Hooper, 2015)

A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE by Maxwell Meyers

Above: Eddie Redmayne in Mr. Hooper’s film.  Photo ©Focus Features.

The other day, I was falling into the vast nothingness that is the internet and came across an article about an app that allows straight men to locate other men who want to “fool around.”   In response, a friend of mine noted, “Sexuality is not just black and white….  It’s not even black, white and gray.  It’s black, white and several different shades of gray.” 

She’s right.  And in a head-spinning world of more varieties of sexual identity than can be counted, a little extra education never hurts.  That’s why I feel so inspired by “The Danish Girl,” a film that is not only educational, but moving as well.

“The Danish Girl” is the newest film from Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”).  It tells the true story of the married artists Einar (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander).  The defining moment of the movie arrives early, when Einar poses for one of Gerda’s paintings wearing women’s clothing.  Awakened to a long-harbored desire, Einar begins his journey to becoming a woman and takes the name Lili Elbe (a transformation expertly portrayed by Mr. Redmayne, who won an Oscar last year for his role in “The Theory of Everything”).

Thanks to Mr. Hooper and his crew, “The Danish Girl” is a beautiful and tragic film that will leave you in a state of awe, not least because of its visual wonderment.  Here, every design choice made and every shot captured appears to have been crafted with the goal of creating a work of painterly gorgeousness.  In particular, the work of cinematographer Danny Cohen shines from beginning to end, and it‘s a shame he’s not up for an Oscar this year.

In point of fact, “The Danish Girl” is only nominated for four Oscars—Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Costume Design, and Best Production design, all of which it deserves.  Mr. Redmayne completely transforms himself into both Einar and Lili, portraying her life with tact and depth that could have easily seemed over dramatized or unbelievable in the hands of a lesser actor.  He’s perfect, even if the character of Lili is slightly selfish and worked on my nerves near the film’s end (which I think is a forgivable flaw).

One might think that Mr. Redmayne’s performance would steal the show, but Ms. Vikander’s performance, to me, stands head and shoulders above her costar’s.  She imbues Gerda with immense depth and strength.  It’s a knockout performance, and one that allows us to imagine how you might act in a similar situation.
    

I think everyone should see “The Danish Girl.”  Though this story took place ninety years ago, it is completely relevant today.  The film may not be perfect, but it hits so many of the right notes that despite the story’s ultimate sadness, it doesn’t completely crush you.  With any luck, the movie will open doors for a more diverse array of stories to be told about sexual identity.  Who knows, maybe the “straight man seeking straight man make out buddy” app will be made into a movie in the next 10 years.

Grade: A