A well made movie - but not for everyone.

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2016)

If this film had not been amongst the Oscar nominees, I would not have bothered to watch it.
I have absolutely nothing against transgender people – indeed, some of my good friends in Thailand have been Thai lady-boys. but I wasn't sure that I really wanted to watch a film about transgender surgery. I also wasn't sure that I wanted to see Eddie Redmayne in drag.
Again, I have nothing against men in drag, but it just isn't my thing.
As with Brooklyn, the film is beautifully made and I had already fallen in love with the brilliant and beautiful Alicia Vikander following her roles in Testament of Youth (a great film!) and Ex-Machina, (also pretty good).
It is Copenhagen in 1926, and Vikander plays Gerda an artist, the wife of Redmayne, who plays Einer, also an artist.
Einer believes he is a woman in a man's body and decides to change his appearance into a female and his name from Einar to Lili. Gerda continues to love and support Lili in his/her quest to become a female. Lili becomes the first person to ever undertake transgender surgery.
Redmayne was nominated for best actor for this role. Quite frankly, I couldn't see it. I couldn't totally see it last year when he won the Oscar for playing Stephen Hawking; but this time around, it seems that the luvvies of Hollywood have nominated him for the nature of the role, rather than the way he actually played it.
He was okay-ish but nothing special. I am sure that there are hundreds of actors out there who could have made a better fist of it – What's wrong with using one of those brilliant Scandinavian actors who all speak excellent English? They act their socks off in their 'Scandi noir' dramas. But Redmayne is the man of the moment and no doubt a draw for audiences.
The film is beautifully shot and sensitively directed, and for what it's worth, it does hold your attention, especially when Vikander is on the screen. It's an interesting story, and the setting of Copenhagen in the 1920's makes for some fascinating sets and cinematography.
It goes without saying that Swedish Alicia won the Oscar for supporting actress – the first of many I suspect.
The Danish Girl isn't for everyone; but if this is the kind of subject matter that appeals to you, you could do worse than give this well- made film the once over.