[projekktor id=’22428′]
Director Tom Hooper has made a career out of directing nice stories about exceptional people filmed in a very nice way. In the same way some people watch romantic comedies or read paper-back mysteries because they enjoy a comforting familiarity, film buffs can confidently walk into a Tom Hooper knowing that they’re going to watch a nice movie. The Danish Girl is Hooper’s newest nicely told story about an exceptional person from history. In this case it is Lili Elbe, a Danish painter formerly known as Einer Wegener who comes to understand that she is a woman born in a man’s body. With the support of her wife Gerde, Einer became the first person in history to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
When we first meet the Wegeners they are living the bohemian life as professional artists in Copenhagen. Happily married and with Einer seeing success with his landscape painting, the two live in a large loft, scarcely furnished but for the canvases and paints. Though Einer enjoys recognition in the art world stretching all the way to Paris, Gerde is struggling to get her portraits accepted by galleries. When she asks Einer to stand in for a missing model by wearing pantyhose and heels however, both their lives change. Einer finds he feels comfortable in the clothing, and his discovery of Lili bursts to life. As he begins raiding Gerde’s wardrobe and makeup bag, Gerde simultaneously begins to paint him, discovering through her canvas a beguiling woman with curly red hair and almond shaped eyes.
The true delight of Hooper’s film is the relationship between Lili and Gerde who are brilliantly brought to life by Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. Once again Redmayne effortlessly transforms himself on-screen. Whereas his oscar-winning performance in last year’s The Theory of Everything saw him portray a man robbed of the use of his body, in The Danish Girl he portrays a woman born into the wrong one. The feeling of imprisonment, the joy of discovering one’s true self and the struggle of adapting to life as a woman is captured with grace and sensitivity by Redmayne, largely told through the minutest expression of the eyes and mouth. As Gerde, Vikander steals the show, completely inhabiting the confident and decisive artist. Deeply frustrated and confused at losing the man she married, she nevertheless aids and supports her husband through his transition. The relationship between the two is complex and messy and wonderfully realistic, and the film’s strongest scenes come when they’re alone in the loft or whispering conspiratorially at a society ball.
Surrounding the story like one of Einer’s canvases are the centuries old buildings and colourful sailboats of Copenhagen, which are fittingly captured with painterly style by cinematographer Danny Cohen. Alexandre Desplat’s score, while perhaps a bit overused, hits the right notes when it needs to. However the film falters with its over-reliance on long sequences of Lili examining herself in mirrors or pulling on different types of clothing. While touching at first, the moments begin to feel voyeuristic and shallow. In this regard and others, Lucinda Coxon’s screenplay is the biggest disappointment. The story never manages to get to a place where we can truly understand what’s happening in Lili’s head. Instead, by the time Lili is travelling to Germany to receive dangerous and experimental surgery, I found myself sympathizing with Gerde’s concerns, and feeling guilty for doing so.
The true story of Lili and Gerde is a bit more messy, and at times The Danish Girl’s comforting fantasy leaves you wishing for a little less sap and bit more grit. Sure you know a lot more about Lili Elbe by the end, and the film might broaden your understanding of the struggles faced by transgender people, but does it ever get us to a point where we understand what Lili is feeling? Does it hit you on a gut level, challenging you emotionally? Not really. It’s like one of Gerde’s early portraits, finely produced but lacking any oomph. The Danish Girl is sure to receive some awards attention, and Redmayne and Vikander certainly deserve their kudos, but unfortunately the whole thing is just a little too…how do I put this…nice.
Reviewed by Evan Arppe.
