A beautiful movie carried by two talented actors !

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2016)

For once, I fully agree with the Academy's decision to nominate both Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander for their roles. Individually they are both talented young actors (who can forget Redmayne in The Theory of Everything and Vikander in Deus Ex Machina ?), but here they managed to show real chemistry on screen and, as a result, watching those two interact with each other is a real treat! They form a really cute couple!
The subject matter is a complicated one and overall The Danish Girl is a drama, but there's also a romance there, and overall I felt that the tone of the movie was quite uplifting and not overly dramatic, contrary to a lot of Oscar's contenders. Much of this has to do - I think - with the subtle yet powerful way the two main actors deliver their lines and show their emotions. The rest of the cast does a great job of supporting them, especially Matthias Schoenaerts and Ben Whishaw.
It's hard not to notice the parallel between Gerda and Einar's job as painters and the cinematography : lots of scenes seem to be taken from a painting. Or is it the other way around ? I thought it was a really nice touch and helped give the film a unique visual identity.
The fact that parts of the movie were shot in Brussels, in places I love (the Royal Galleries and Park, the famous "A La Mort Subite" café) probably made me appreciate this movie more than I would normally, but still, this is an excellent, beautiful movie that I wholeheartedly recommend! 9 out of 10.