The Danish Girl

I've followed news on the production of The Danish Girl ever since it was first announced in 2009. Then, Tomas Alfredson was to direct intended producer Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron in the true life story of Lili Elbe. It wound up with Tom Hooper directing Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander in the most controversial film of their careers. So I'll have to word my review carefully.

It's 1926, and Gerda Wegener (Vikander) is an artist with a problem. Her friend, Ulla (Amber Heard), was supposed to model for her latest painting, but she ran late one day. So she asks her slender-framed husband, fellow artist Einar (Redmayne), to literally step into Ulla's shoes. This inspires Einar to try on more women's clothing. One day, Gerda lets Einar dress up as a woman named Lili. She thinks that letting Einar pose as his own cousine would be fun. But...

Einar gradually realizes that he, or rather she, was meant to be a woman. Gerda doesn't know what to make of it. The psychologists they see aren't sympathetic. But soon, Gerda realizes that letting her husband transition to Lili is the best thing for them. And there's a doctor who might help them.

(As this is based on a real person, some spoilers might be unavoidable.)

Lucinda Coxon's screenplay reworks David Ebershoff's fictionalized biography of Lili Elbe into feature form. It's a screenplay that favors text rather than subtext. We see that it's hard for Lili to transition, but not why. To give an example, Lili's first bit of romance with a man, Henrik (Ben Whishaw), causes her to become physically ill. I wish it explained why that was. It might have foreshadowed her death except that it didn't.

The casting of Redmayne, a cisgender man as a transgender woman, was criticized from day one. His performance is fine, but not perfect. As Einar, his enthusiasm is high and his near-permanent smile is wide. As Lili, his over-emotional performance becomes obvious. But we still empathize with Lili just the same. Lili's last scene, where she dies from surgery complications, but at peace with herself, is a powerful moment.

Vikander's performance is also tops. The movie is also about Gerda's struggles to accept her husband's transition. Her frustrations with the situation are born out of confusion, not hatred. She still loves Einar even when Lili takes over. And that's why she earns the audience's sympathy throughout the picture.

Hooper's crew helps out a lot. The production and costume designs, by Eve Stewart and Paco Delgado respectively, paint a pretty picture of 1920's Europe. The makeup team helps Redmayne cross the gender barrier with ease. The score by Alexandre Desplat is perfectly serene. Danny Cohen's cinematography is sometimes lambasted for putting actors off-centre, and he does it here too. But his best moments are the landscape shots. They're colored in a way that looks like a painter painted this movie.

The Danish Girl is an admirable movie. Its creative decisions might put off some people. But its story of a couple staying together in tough times is endearing. If this movie raises awareness of transgender issues, and makes people think seriously about them for a long time, then it did something right.