Plot: Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) begins posing as a lady for his wife’s paintings. When he discovers that he enjoys dressing as a woman he gradually gives way to his alter-ego, Lili Elbe, and struggles to maintain his relationship with Gerda (Alicia Vikander) whilst living in a society where many won’t accept his new-found self.
Last year Eddie Redmayne gave a very physical performance that saw his character’s marriage dissolve as he underwent a complete transformation. The film was the heartwarming Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything and the transformation was due to a horrific, rare form of ALS. In The Danish Girl we see Redmayne give another very physical performance as Einar/Lili, and undergo another transformation with similar effects on the relationship. The Danish Girl does feel awfully familiar in that respect, despite it being a story that hasn’t been covered before in cinema – that of one of the first identifiable transgender women. The film’s subject matter makes it intriguing, but is it actually an interesting watch? Well no, not really.
Whilst a similar part worked well for Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, his performance as Lili often feels too much – there’s an overabundance of whispered conversations, toothy grins and shy giggles and they get old fast. As a result, I found myself waiting for this character to feel like a real person and not a drawn out impression.
Speaking of drawn out, The Danish Girl feels long. This is no doubt because, despite its bold subject matter, the film plays it very safe, and is missing any real excitement. Potentially tense scenes are played out in a way that tells the audience “it’s a bit shit but everything’s ok”. Even the surgery lacks any real sense of danger. Lilli’s first public appearance is as thrilling as it gets, which is unusual given the events that unfold later in the story. The film never risks provoking a serious reaction from its audience, as if not wanting to risk making anyone uncomfortable. It plays it so safe in fact that there are few surprises to be found, making it a rather dull watch.
Verdict:
The Danish Girl lacks any vibrant character, coming across merely as a watered-down, sumptuous costume drama.
2/5
Screened 