Find the Courage to Find Yourself.

Rating: 5/10 (1 July 2018)

Directed by Tom Hooper, "The Danish Girl" is based on the 2000 novel with the same name written by David Ebershoff. The story is loosely based on the life of Einar Wegener, the first person to go through transgender surgery, and his personal struggles and relationship with his wife. In "The Danish Girl," performances are as important as the story itself. From the first scene I fell in love with Eddie Redmayne's acting and later paid more attention to Alicia Vikander, as Gerda Wegener, and her outstanding performance. Einar is going through a transformation progress to become Lili, and the perception of Gerda's infinite and everlasting love for her husband is the strongest point of the film. This performance brought Alicia Vikander an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. On the other hand, Eddie Redmayne's performance was critical for the film's reputation. He is becoming the master in disguise after his equally hard role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. That performance brought him an Oscar for The Best Performance by Actor in a Leading Role. One year later he came very close to win his 2nd Oscar for his performance in "The Danish Girl." The role of Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe is very hard to perform. Figures, gestures, mimics and feelings are very important. To master this particular role, you need to feel like Einar Wegener, and Redmayne's performance overcomes all the struggles of this role. With this kind of hard roles, you get to see the real talent of the artist.
Controversial or sensitive subjects have always been rewarded in cinema. It is thought by the authorities that this kind of films always serve to the true purpose of art. I don't share this thought, but yet again I am not the one in power to decide what is good and bad for the audience. Films like "The Danish Girl" have a mission to show us the unspoken or hidden facts. Most of the time getting into these roles is not easy, and this is the reason why they are usually awarded.
Camera shots behind the ballet clothes and paintings manage to make a difference in the means of Cinematography. Beautiful sceneries and identical Danish houses were shot with wide angles, and this technique shows us the importance of cinematography for a film. In "The Danish Girl," both Einar and his wife Gerda are painters. So, default setup of the scenes, with paintings and costumes all over, are preparing you for the grey mood presented throughout the film. Beautiful and diverse costumes also serve the purpose of the film. This brought another nomination to "The Danish Girl" for Best Achievement in Costume Design. The clothes Einar wear in disguise as a woman are matching both the era and the inner taste of Lili. Those costumes are somehow the visual representatives of her inner feelings as a woman.
The perception of homosexuality back in 20s in Europe is another subject of the film. Tom Hooper focuses on all the struggles of Einar by showing some scenes that take courage to show. He goes to striptease shows and imitates the dancing woman. He goes to fish market to observe the gestures of women. He continuously imagines himself as a woman and getting beaten up once.
Lili and Einar are two different characters. One of them is Einar's true form, and the other is the person he is forced to be. Social pressure tends to force you into personalities that don't represent you. If a person doesn't have strong state of mind, this forcing may end up in suicide. This is not the case for Einar. He is a strong character, and he knows that he is a woman inside. This is how he faces all the bumps on the road. Transgender surgeries are a matter of debate even today. In long term, this kind of films are going to build up the social acceptance. This is how cinema serves to society.
With outstanding performances and an interesting subject, "The Danish Girl" encourages people with the similar situation to act and live their lives as they see fit. Being drama, history and biography, "The Danish Girl" is one of the good examples of these genres.