The Danish Girl - B-

*Quick Hit:  A film that is carried entirely by its cast, despite being overly dramatic to the point it makes you cringe.

“Some movies are just made to be Oscar-bait.” I remember when I saw the trailer for this film that I had that exact thought. And you know what? It’s exactly true.  Some movies are completely made with an eye towards award’s season. Is that necessarily a bad thing? I don’t know – but sometimes movies would be better if they weren’t such a dramatic drag (see what I did there?  If you don't get it, just ask in the comments - someone will explain it).

​Such is the case with The Danish Girl. It is a movie about Einar Wegener/Lili (or Lily – they seem to be pretty interchangeable, so I will do the same) Elbe, one of the first identifiable recipients of sex  

reassignment surgery. As I said, it is a prime Oscar film since it is about an artist who has to make a large transformation (both the actor and the character). The Danish Girl goes so far into pushing the drama that at times it really drags. The unnecessary close-ups, scenery shots, and long-delivered monologues make a movie that already seems overlong (despite it only having a running time of about two hours) seem that much longer.

This movie would be positively unwatchable if not for its leads. ​Eddie Redymayne, hot off his Academy Award for another trans-formative performance  (Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything),

 is sensational in this movie. Since he already has delicate features, he was a natural to play the role. But it goes so far past his physical attributes. He really makes you believe Lily’s longing to be a woman fully and completely. You see it in his eyes each time he touches the lace, as he stares at himself in the mirror, as he studies the women around him. It’s hauntingly beautiful. And once he truly begins his change to Lily – it’s easy to forget it’s a man playing the role.

His performance alone would raise the movie, but the stealer of this show goes to Alicia Vikander in the role of Gerda, Einar/Lili’s wife. She portrays a strength throughout the film that is tangible, all the while maintaining a softness that shows all the emotions she must be feeling. There must be so much anger, sadness, hurt, and overall confusion that you would have throughout this process. 

I’m really glad that the Academy rewarded her performance with a Best Supporting Actress (though it thoroughly confused me – she is on the screen nearly as much as Redmayne), especially considering she owned another role in 2015 as Ava in Ex Machina (which should have been nominated more).

It really is a shame that the direction took this movie into being overly dramatic. The story is beautiful, the acting is wonderful, and the art direction is superb. I think a B- is a good overall grade for the film, but it easily could have been a hard A.

Check out IMDB for more on this film.