Come for the set design, stay for the acting

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2016)

The Danish Girl is a story set in Copenhagen in the 1920's about one of the first people to undergo a sex reassignment. Although I was not particularly fond of the pacing or character development, the performances of Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander were some of the strongest of the year. Redmayne's portrayal of Einar/Lili made Jared Leto's portrayal of Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club seem as believable as Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Vikander, who had a huge year, was passionate, loving and vulnerable as Einar's wife Gerda in her strongest role to date. The location, set designs and costumes provide a gorgeous context within which to enjoy the performances.
The Danish Girl can be be criticized as Oscar bait, but that accusation infers an elite level of quality. There's no denying that it's a conservative exploration of trans-gendered issues, but it's certainly an accomplished one.