Uncomfortable at times but superb performances

Rating: 6/10 (9 February 2016)

This was a film that I originally thought I'd skip when I first saw the trailer. However, the second time I saw it I was more intrigued by the story and do like Alicia Vikander so was looking forward to seeing her in a film with substance. Eddie Redmayne, on the other hand, I do find difficult to watch on screen no matter his role. He was outstanding as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and won a well-deserved Oscar, however in this film he's back to being quite tricky to watch, for me at least.
Based very loosely on the life of Einar Wegener and set in 1920's Denmark this is a largely fictional piece about the life of Einar, his wife Gerda and his journey to becoming Lili Elbe. The scenery of the film, the cities and locations within those cities, is simply stunning. Every scene is so beautifully considered and with extensive use of extreme depth of field cinematography an absolutely joy to your eyes. For this alone I'd recommend seeing the film, it's visually stunning.
With the actual story, there are elements of it that I found hard to watch and ultimately for me I felt more for Einar's wife Gerda which is a shame as most of their relationship is essentially fictitious. Vikander is absolutely brilliant in her role (her best to date in my opinion), immediately making you feel her side of the story and taking you along all the ups and downs of her relationship. The inclusion of Matthias Schoenaerts was an inspired selection and he brings a wonder air to the film, his fourth superb role in the last 12 months.
Overall I found it an OK film and have to admit to being touched towards the end, but for me the casting of Redmayne made it a little harder to watch. I'm sure others wouldn't feel the same though so don't be put off by my thoughts on that front. Well worth a watch if you enjoy how great a film can look