Would have liked another movie but this one was good

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2016)

Clearly I would have preferred the real story of Gerda and Lili. From accounts it was worthy of a film in and of itself. That said this film does work especially because of the conflicted nuances of Alicia Vikander's performance. What and who Gerda was in real life is the subject of another film. One the begs to be made. Who Gerda was in this movie is the result of Vikander's ability to show conflicted emotions, to respond to the world around her. Redmayne also does a remarkable job with what he is given.
The fault in the film, if there is one is in the translation from inspiration to script to film. Hopper, as director, bears the brunt of that responsibility and the studio advertising and promotion bears the lion's share for misrepresenting what the movie is and who it is about.
Never the less, the cinematography is divine, the acting incredible and the story, while not the true story, works on its own terms.