The Love of a Good Woman

Rating: 7/10 (20 July 2016)

The Danish Girl of the title is Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe, as portrayed by Eddie Redmayne, but the film would have been better if it had made Gerda Wegener, as portrayed by Alicia Vikander, the central character. It is her understanding and loyalty--as she learns that the love of her life is a man who believes he should have been born a woman--that is the heart and soul of this film. Redmayne's performance did more to convince this viewer that there is not always a surgical answer to the transgender dilemma. His eye-batting and Princess Diana-ish downward glances reeked of ACTING and made the character seem utterly self-centered. It was the quandary of his loving wife that seemed so sad and was really the most compelling part of the story. Set in the 1920s, the film is also beautiful to watch for its sets and locations.