"The Danish Girl" - Review

Identity Struggles

Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl

There is a common frame of thinking whenever we arrive at "Oscar Season" when you see advertising for a prestige picture obviously up for the running for awards. These films, especially ones that have some sort of "daring" gimmick like a specific time period, a social issue, or an intimate struggle/illness, are often called "Oscar bait"; meaning that they only exist to be begging for awards attention. The Danish Girl is one such film that is being labeled as Oscar bait. It takes a hot button social issue, throws a transformative performance by an established actor in to portray that issue, and is set in an old time period packed with potential for elaborate costume and make-up. However, like the titular character Lili, this is an unwarranted label by the basic masses that only ever has gives an impression of a film's surface that does not acknowledge their true soul or meaning. Good films always have more than the surface. They have an inner identity that shows through, distinguishing them from the rest of the pack. For this reason, I do not support the labeling of films as "Oscar bait". I only judge films based on if they are successful in portraying the tone or message that they set out to show. If a comedy makes me laugh, it succeeds to me. If a thriller thrills me, it succeeds. If a period piece film that is meant to inspire and provoke emotion moves me and is accurate in its portrayal of that time period, it is successful. The Danish Girl earns its marks, but only just. It is an exquisitely made piece with tremendous and haunting performaces by its leads, but is a film that ironically is not sure of its true identity. It has a beautiful surface and while its importance is definitely evident, it leaves one needing when it comes to baring its deeper soul.

It is hard to be so critical of a film with such a good heart and has to be commended for being the landmark in an important social evolution that it is. This is a film inspired by the true story of Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda, who both discover that Einar is not truly Einar, but in actuality is Lili, a beautiful soul who has been fighting to be real and seen her entire life. On top of that, Lili discovers herself in 1926 and is considered to be a pioneer in the transgender movement for being one of the first transgender individuals to attempt sex reassignment surgery.

This story is a truly special one and is brought to life in a very respectful and vivid way. Eddie Redmayne is incredibly affecting as Lili and shows so much of her pain and discovery in subtle ways that feels true to the character. The real stand out here is the title "Danish girl" Gerda played immaculately by Alicia Vikander. I am thrilled to see Alicia Vikander have such a break out year, first starring in this year's Ex Machina and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. She gives her most layered and powerful performance here. She is truly heartbreaking playing a woman who in her own way is struggling to find herself and whose identity is defined partially by her love for Einar, a man who is no longer there. While Redmayne's performance is indeed great, Vikander becomes the one with the most depth and is deserving of an Oscar.

This comes as a sort of detriment to the film. It is a very tasteful and palatable film and part of this is achieved by the fact that the story's majority belongs to Gerda. While Gerda is a great character to see, we are left wanting when it comes to seeing who Lili really is. Lili's character is not given the layered depth that Gerda has in this script. It is Eddie Redmayne's performance that fills in those gaps, but there is still space to fill. It is pretty evident that the filmmakers intentionally made the film this way so it is easier for a wider audience to soak in and understand, given it's controversial subject matter. This idea is a respectable one, but I wish that we could have gotten a film that had as much bravery as its character's had and was not afraid to take risks and allow us to see more than what the surface allows us.

In the end I am conflicted about The Danish Girl. I admire its accessibility and respectfulness to the material, but I wish it had more to say. Regardless, the performances here are powerful and moving and its production is spot on. It may indeed get a lot of Oscar attention and it deserves it. It is a good film, not bait. It is only a good film however and not the great one that its impressive actors' performances deserve. It is an important film that I recommend deeply to everyone who wants to know more about the topics it presents; just remember to do some additional reading on the subject to supplement what you get from the film. 

Grade: B.