Eddie Redmayne slays ‘The Danish Girl’
Forget Star Wars. Forget Jennifer Lawrence inventing the mop. And if Will Ferrel battling Mark Wahlberg over children was even on your radar, please stop immediately. There is one movie that all you queers should brave the icy roads and frigid temperatures to see, and that movie is The Danish Girl. Just trust us on this one.
The film focuses on one of the first recorded male to female transgender surgery, and the woman, Lili Erbe, who was brave enough to undergo such surgery in the early 1930s. The film chronicles her journey of living as a danish male painter, to life as a woman. And although the film may have been neatly wrapped with a bow when considering both the inner and outer world turmoil this woman most likely went through, it’s focus was on the relationship between Lili, and her wife, Gerda. It follows the pair from the time Lili puts on women’s clothing for the first time up until the final surgery. During this time, it is apparent that the transition takes a toll on both characters, and the film does a phenomenal job at capturing this.
Regardless, the film is beautiful. Director Tom Hooper (Les Miserables, The Kings Speech) produced yet another arthouse phenomenon, with scenes that seem to fit into the pages of a high-fashion editorial. It was often times breathtaking, and the attention to small details in each scene brought these character’s emotions to life. His eye was impeccable.
Matching his cinematic eye, writer Lucinda Coxon, gave us a story full of heart and passion. She also delivered a film focusing on controversial issues in a way that appeals to an audience as a whole. This is a great thing if you want to introduce this story, and the trans community, to the world as a whole. For those of us with knowledge of the community, it may come off a bit vanilla. But, the film isn’t about being trans, it’s about the relationship between two people who knew nothing of this world, and how they grow together and apart.
Which brings us to the reason every single person should squeeze their asses into the theater seating and try not to blink. The acting is out of this world phenomenal. Carrying the entire film Eddie Redmayne (Lili) and Alicia Vikander (Gerda) deliver powerhouse portrayals of these characters.
Let’s start with Redmayne. We know there has been plenty of outrcry from the LGBT community about casting a cis actor to play a trans woman. But, from the first time he walks on screen there is no mistaking that Redmayne was cast based on his talent and not his gender identity. I believed this man was a trans woman. It didn’t feel like I was staring at him through an oversized screen, but rather I was in the room with him. I was a fly on the wall of an authentic bedroom, staring at a authentic person. Not only is his look androgynous enough to pass as a woman or a man, but his commitment to the character, and the training he underwent is apparent. I believed every word that came out of his mouth, and felt every tear that landed on his cheek.
But we can not forget about his costar, Vikander. Portraying the wife of a man who confesses that he is actually a woman on the inside, and slowly realizing your husband is no longer your husband is a hard role to play for anyone. There are few people in this world who have had to face this realization, and even fewer references to it. But, like Redmayne, the audience felt her emotions as we saw them. He felt her heartbreak, anger, and confusion. Both of these actors deserve an Oscar nomination for these roles.
The film is phenomenal. The acting is even better. And even though it is targeted at a general audience, the LGBT community will fall in love with this film. Trust me.
