The Danish Girl (B) Movie Review
The Danish Girl stars Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, the first person to undergo a male to female sex reassignment. Lili was born as Einar Wegener, a well-known and respected Danish painter. One day, after Einar's wife Gerda's model doesn't show (Gerda is also a painter), Einar fills in for the model, wearing women's clothing. Einar rediscovers a repressed part of himself and begins to feel more comfortable as a woman.
Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander turn in excellent performances in this reserved but respectable, Oscar bait-y drama about the first person to undergo a sex reassignment surgery. Tom Hooper, director of The King's Speech and Les Miserables, directs this film with a similar prestige that can be found in his previous efforts. The Danish Girl feels very aware that it's progressive and trying to be progressive. And I think the film can be inherently progressive, if it isn't disrespectful or ignorant. The Danish Girl is inherently progressive, as it seems like it's trying very hard to understand Lili and her struggles with identity. Also, surprisingly, it attempts to understand Gerda as a wife, desperately trying to understand the identity of the person she married.
As Lili, Eddie Redmayne is quite good. Although a real trans actor could've been cast, there's no denying that Redmayne's performance is believable and sensitive. The part, much like DiCaprio's in The Revenant, requires a lot of crying/getting upset. It's a strong performance when Redmayne gets quiet moments of restrained emotion. Vikander might just give the better performance, though. She's had quite a year and knocks it out of the park here as well. Vikander feels like the voice of everyone who doesn't completely understand what it means to be transgender but wants to understand. But she's not only the way for a lot of mainstream audiences to penetrate the story, creating a wholly realized character on her own.
My biggest problem with the film, though, is that it is too concerned with appealing to mainstream audiences. I respect that Tom Hooper wants this story to reach the widest amount of people and that's commendable, but the quality of the film suffers a bit. It never feels as moving as it wants to be, delivering a conventional and unsurprising conclusion. The Danish Girl seems bent on appeasing the most generic of crowds. It's a generally unsurprising film that doesn't go any direction you aren't expecting.
If the film's emotional punch is minor, The Danish Girl is visually impeccable. Similar in style to last year's Mr. Turner, this is a lovely looking film with breathtaking, sweeping cinematography by Danny Cohen. Cohen captures the time period well, highlighting the glamorous city life and the artistic refuge Lili takes in the majestic outdoors. Everything from the costume design to production design to the classical score by Alexandre Desplat comes together to form a tasteful and extravagant experience.
I don't think that the core emotions of this story get diluted in the beautiful production value and overall aesthetic of the film. When they do get diluted is in the repetitive plot events and, to a lesser extent, in the eager approach to appeal to the masses. The Danish Girl gets stuck in a bit of a rut when Lili is struggling with whether she wants to be Einar or Lili. Lili goes back and forth, Gerda stays supportive, and it goes on for a little while. When Lili decides that she is Lili, then things become more poignant and things get a little more dynamic.
The Danish Girl isn't a perfect film. It feels weighed down by a mildly repetitive nature and a desire to appease everyone. But the film is highly entertaining and respectful. It's elevated by tremendous lead performances by Vikander and Redmayne, paired with a stunning visual style.
FINAL GRADE: B
MPAA RATING: R for some sexuality and full nudity
Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander turn in excellent performances in this reserved but respectable, Oscar bait-y drama about the first person to undergo a sex reassignment surgery. Tom Hooper, director of The King's Speech and Les Miserables, directs this film with a similar prestige that can be found in his previous efforts. The Danish Girl feels very aware that it's progressive and trying to be progressive. And I think the film can be inherently progressive, if it isn't disrespectful or ignorant. The Danish Girl is inherently progressive, as it seems like it's trying very hard to understand Lili and her struggles with identity. Also, surprisingly, it attempts to understand Gerda as a wife, desperately trying to understand the identity of the person she married.
As Lili, Eddie Redmayne is quite good. Although a real trans actor could've been cast, there's no denying that Redmayne's performance is believable and sensitive. The part, much like DiCaprio's in The Revenant, requires a lot of crying/getting upset. It's a strong performance when Redmayne gets quiet moments of restrained emotion. Vikander might just give the better performance, though. She's had quite a year and knocks it out of the park here as well. Vikander feels like the voice of everyone who doesn't completely understand what it means to be transgender but wants to understand. But she's not only the way for a lot of mainstream audiences to penetrate the story, creating a wholly realized character on her own.
My biggest problem with the film, though, is that it is too concerned with appealing to mainstream audiences. I respect that Tom Hooper wants this story to reach the widest amount of people and that's commendable, but the quality of the film suffers a bit. It never feels as moving as it wants to be, delivering a conventional and unsurprising conclusion. The Danish Girl seems bent on appeasing the most generic of crowds. It's a generally unsurprising film that doesn't go any direction you aren't expecting.
If the film's emotional punch is minor, The Danish Girl is visually impeccable. Similar in style to last year's Mr. Turner, this is a lovely looking film with breathtaking, sweeping cinematography by Danny Cohen. Cohen captures the time period well, highlighting the glamorous city life and the artistic refuge Lili takes in the majestic outdoors. Everything from the costume design to production design to the classical score by Alexandre Desplat comes together to form a tasteful and extravagant experience.
I don't think that the core emotions of this story get diluted in the beautiful production value and overall aesthetic of the film. When they do get diluted is in the repetitive plot events and, to a lesser extent, in the eager approach to appeal to the masses. The Danish Girl gets stuck in a bit of a rut when Lili is struggling with whether she wants to be Einar or Lili. Lili goes back and forth, Gerda stays supportive, and it goes on for a little while. When Lili decides that she is Lili, then things become more poignant and things get a little more dynamic.
The Danish Girl isn't a perfect film. It feels weighed down by a mildly repetitive nature and a desire to appease everyone. But the film is highly entertaining and respectful. It's elevated by tremendous lead performances by Vikander and Redmayne, paired with a stunning visual style.
FINAL GRADE: B
MPAA RATING: R for some sexuality and full nudity