FILM REVIEW: The Danish Girl

SET in 1927, The Danish Girl is inspired by the life of Lili Elbe, a Danish artist and trans pioneer who was one of the first people to have gender reassignment surgery.

Director Tom Hooper is no stranger to true stories, having directed the Academy Award-winning film The King’s Speech. But here, I think he does his most exceptional work.

[showads ad=MREC] Film is a visual medium and so when a director can convey the story through visuals rather than speech, then they have done their job. The way Tom shows Lili‘s struggle as she discovers the real person within herself when she was known as Einar is truly remarkable. The character says little but there are some key scenes which show the process and struggle experienced by Lili and it’s only represented visually.

What is interesting about this story is that Lili has a supportive and open-minded group of people around her, partly due to the fact her social circle consisted of people from the artistic community.

While Gerda struggles with seeing her husband transition from Einar to Lili, it’s her love that makes her stay by Lili’s side.

Last year, Eddie Redmayne proved what a remarkable actor he was in the film The Theory Of Everything and he further proves that here with portrayal of Lili in The Danish Girl.

As mentioned above, many of the scenes where we see Lili discovering her true self are visual and it’s Redmayne’s performance that shows the inner struggle so well. Equally as good is Alicia Vikander as Gerda. Their relationship is powerful and fascinating. I also thought Matthias Shoenaerts was delightful as one of Lili’s childhood friends who helps the couple through this difficult time in their lives.

A truly beautiful and wonderful film that has an inspiring message about discovering your true self. It proves you sometimes need to take risks to make that dream come true.

The Danish Girl will be in cinemas around Australia from January 21.