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    The Danish Girl

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    When a movie is about real people, I enjoy it when they fudge a few facts because nobody wants to know how long Abraham Lincoln spent on the toilet on April 1st 1865. What really matters is whether or not the story is worth telling, if it’s a good movie with interesting characters and whether or not the plot will engross you. In the case of “The Danish Girl” there is a tale that feels like it needs to be told and more importantly, some incredible performances.

    Set in the mid-1920s Copenhagen, struggling portrait artist Gerda Wegner (Alicia Vikander) asks her husband to stand in for a female model. When Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) puts on the tights and shoes, it re-awakens a need within him to identify as a woman. The film follows the realization of Einar’s female identity, Lili Elbe.

    I think this film serves more effectively as entertainment for people who aren’t very knowledgeable about the LGBT world, but are interested in it than for people who are very knowledgeable about Lili Elbe. My reasoning behind this is that a lot of real-life material has been left out, and not just little details. Even doing limited research on the people portrayed here revealed many big events and ideas that would have been very interesting to see. Should that deter you from seeing the film? No, because this is not a documentary. It’s just worth noting that if you’re going into the movie because you’re going through the physical change from one gender to the other and Lili Elbe is a role model of yours, I think you’ll be disappointed with the information that’s served. What makes up for it are the performances and some of the subtler filmmaking aspects of “The Danish Girl”.

    Eddie Redmayne is becoming an actor that I can’t get enough of. In 2014 I was amazed by his performance as Stephen Hawking. It was not only a verbal, but also a tremendously demanding physical performance and that’s true here too. If you are an aspiring actor/actress, look at what he does with his face, and the way he handles his body as Lili emerges. It’s uncanny, but when lipstick or eyeliner is applied, even when it’s done innocently at first, something changes. It’s like a painting that everyone assumed had a bunch of hidden meanings in it, when it was actually being hung upside down. Sliding into that dress is like righting the painting. All of a sudden everything makes sense. The introduction of the female dress and mannerisms feel so authentic and so organic that words feel like they’re not enough to describe it. You’re actually sold on the female identity not only in the way that Redmayne delivers the lines, but the way he walks, holds his hands and speaks. It’s truly remarkable. It’s so good that it makes me want to slap the people who criticized his casting in the role. He does the real-life person such justice that I can’t imagine anyone doing it any better.

    With that glowing praise, I have to admit that to me, there’s something missing in "The Danish Girl”. The performances are universally great and the story is interesting. There’s something universally gripping about it too. Yes it’s about a person who undergoes an extreme change and you might think that you won’t be able to relate, but you will. Why? Because it’s about someone who wants something so bad it’s tangible, something that’s critical to their identity and there are people out there who will tell them “No”. Hearing that disapproval you cheer for Lili. Nonetheless, I can’t help but feel like there should have been more of an impact. Yes Lili has to overcome tremendous odds and is misunderstood by the world, sometimes cruelly so, but I could have told you that before even buying my movie ticket. It’s moving, but it never gets to the that level where it really breaks your heart and makes you reconsider everything you’ve ever know about genders and the way people perceive themselves. All of the top-of-the-line components are there, but the film never reaches that level of a masterpiece where it’s greater than the sum of its parts.

    Looking beyond just the technical aspects of the movie, Gerda in particular stood out to me. Her role in the story is very complex. Lili emerges and from then on, she has a clear goal. What about Gerda? Suddenly she has to struggle with the idea that her husband is gone. Is Lili just a split personality? A phase that will pass? Is it an illness? Every professional they see appears to think so. If it is, where did it come from? Would it have emerged if Gerda hadn’t gotten her husband to pose as a woman? And it gets even more complex from there when people react unexpectedly to Lili. Sometimes it feels like one person is taking advantage of the other and then it turns completely around. When you see these people act selfishly, insecurely or out of anger is when you really get that emotional punch that makes it all feel alive.

    “The Danish Girl” is not perfect, but when you weigh the shortcomings against the praises this film deserves and most importantly next to the performances, you’ll say to yourself “what flaws did I notice again? ” It’s a tearjerker, and a solid drama. If you want a good cry, this will satisfy you thoroughly. I found the ending to be particularly strong. I can think of a slew of reasons why you should see “The Danish Girl” and I hope you do. (Theatrical version on the big screen, January 20, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  21.1.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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