The Danish Girl is a grownup, British and Americanized version of Ma Vie En Rose, which is a modern story about a young transgender boy in France; however, this biopic is based on real events. It’s a compelling story about an artistic Danish couple whose romance is turned upside down after Gerda (Alicia Vikander) asks her husband Einar (Eddie Redmayne) to dress up as a woman, Lili, for a portrait and Einar enjoys it more than Gerda ever expected.
The movie’s attention to detail is excellent. For example, when Einar fixes Gerda’s lipstick with his finger, it’s clear that he is in touch with his feminine side because that’s rare to see. Likewise, the way Einar always whispers while pretending to be Lili reflects women’s submissive behaviour.
Many scenes in the movie examine the power of the male gaze. “It’s hard for a man to be looked at by a woman…it’s unsettling,” Gerda observes, whereas men typically don’t care about the reverse scenario. When Einar dresses up as Lili for the first time in public, a party guest who fancies Lili says, “I’ve been watching you.” Einar is so uncomfortable with the attention that he gets a nosebleed. How embarrassing! Einar’s pain is palpable.
At first, Gerda says, “I’m your wife. I know everything.” However, once she realizes that Einar has a deeper inner conflict, she takes him to a doctor. The clueless doctor then decides Einar has a chemical imbalance and diagnoses him with perversion. Meanwhile, another doctor mistakenly thinks Einar is schizophrenic. It’s sad because gender issues were so taboo and very few people were able to understand Einar’s situation.
So many couples proclaim they are happy because they “married their best friend,” but Gerda and Einar embody that better than most characters. Gerda is so supportive that she stays with Einar through one of the first sex reassignment operations in history.
It’s important that arts patrons support works that sensitively portray transgender characters, so if Caitlyn Jenner has been on your radar or you loved watching Lola in Kinky Boots, add The Danish Girl to your must-watch list.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d88APYIGkjk’]
Disclosure: Universal Films invited me to an advance screening so I could write a review.