Highly topical and reasonably interesting

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2016)

Copenhagen, Denmark, 1926. Einar Wegener (played by Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) are a happily married couple. Both are artists, he preferring landscapes and she portraits. One day he poses for a portrait of hers while dressed as a woman. This is initially done as a lark, as is his later attendance at a party dressed as a woman. However, Einar soon discovers that he enjoys dressing as a woman and over time prefers being Lili, the female version of himself, to Einar. At first he an Gerda try to have his situation "cured" but this leads nowhere (other than to many doctors trying to have him locked up as a pervert and/or lunatic). His voyage of self-discovery will ultimately lead to him undergoing the first ever sex-change operation.
Very well timed, in terms of when this movie was made. Transgender rights are a controversial current topic and this movie covers the subject well. Sensitively made, it shows how people like Einar Wegener were treated by the medical profession and society in general, and thus how revolutionary, yet inevitable, his decision was.
For these reasons, quite interesting from an historic and social perspective.
Does take a while to get going though. The first 75% or so is quite slow-moving and feels like preamble (which it is, ultimately). Once he first undergoes the treatment, then it gets quite interesting. We see the impact on his relationships and on his/her outlook on life. The last 25% or so makes the film worth watching.
Can't fault the cast at all. I can't imagine anyone other than Eddie Redmayne playing the role of Einar Wegener/Lili - well cast and he is incredibly convincing. Well deserved his Best Actor Oscar nomination.
Alicia Vikander shines as Gerda and deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
Even Amber Heard, who I thought may be out of her element in a serious drama, does well in her role.