A Natural Woman

Rating: 6/10 (26 December 2015)

(Rating: ☆☆½ out of 4)
This film is mildly recommended.
In brief: Two fine performances are lost in a wearisome biopic.
GRADE: B-
Back in the 1920's, Gerda Wegener created erotic female portraits. Asking her artist husband, Einar to don women's clothes and pose for these paintings paved the way for his sexual liberation and freed his inner identity as Lili Erbe in Tom Hooper's uneven biopic, The Danish Girl. The film tells the story of the makings of one of the first transgenders, even though some of the actual facts are glossed over and never accurately presented.
￼The film depicts the balancing act that this married couple faced with the proper degree of poignancy as they both come to terms with Einar's vibrant counterpart. Lili's persona starts to overshadow him. Naturally these changes affect their relationship as the gender issue becomes irreversible. While Einar opts for sex reassignment surgery, Gerda must deal with her own emotions through this turmoil and decide her rightful place in Einar's / Lili's life. That the roles are played by Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander only enhances the film's impact.
Hopper does craft his film well and give his talented leads enough leeway to create indelible characters, due more to the credit of the actors' prowess than the actual writing. In fact, the dull screenplay by Lucinda Coxon never allows them to act realistically to their life-changing situation. Yes, they are both free spirits and eccentric artist types but these major events would certainly test any Bohemian lifestyle to the max. (This is especially true in the pivotal first scene when Greta under-reacts when discovering her husband's secret penchant for wearing women's clothing. Her response rings false.)
￼One can readily admire the filmmakers' sincerity and earnestness with this project. But this important subject deserves a more realistic spin than the lyrical approach that Hooper decides to take as the director. He downplays the serious nature of the film with too many lingering travelogue shots of Copenhagen and other period details. The pacing of the film becomes tedious and slower than Einar's own physical change. Beside the script by being problematic, so is the actual physical transformation by Redmayne from Einer to Lili. One never quite believes that he is a she. (It is most jarring in a scene where he dons the female garb to be "my fair lady" at the ball when everyone is all eyes at this ravishing "non-beauty". Yet another flawed moment.) The actor, while displaying enough feminine mannerisms, cannot convincingly transcend the transgender role due to the hair and make-up design of his character.
￼Still, Eddie Redmayne makes some bold choices in the title role and lets his character underplay the uncertainty in the outset and become more selfish and determined toward the end. (In fact, there is one nicely structured scene when the actor starts to mimic the sexual movements of a prostitute that shows the inner struggle that tore at Einar. This inspired moment tells more beyond mere words.) Even making the situation more effecting is Alicia Vikander as his loving spouse. Her character is torn between the man she married and the woman she admires. Ms. Vikander is a revelation, giving a nicely modulated performance by showing her subtle range in her emotional highs and lows. Amber Head as their friend, Ulla, brings some sparks to her lifeless role. Other supporting turns by Matthias Schoenaerts and Ben Whishaw never rise to that level of excellence due to the sketchy nature of the characters they play.
Alas, despite the superior acting by the two leads, The Danish Girl is in need of some personal realignment as well.