If you’re in the mood for a lot of emotion, then The Danish Girl is the film for you. A historical drama about the first man to become a woman, with reassignment surgery. But the film is about much more than just a man becoming a woman, it’s about the struggles of realizing who you are and who you want to be, and the affects that has on your loved ones and those around you.
Directed by Tom Hooper and based off the novel by David Ebershoff, which catalogs the life of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener, two artists in the 1920s who are married, so comes the man we meet at the beginning of the film, who will become Lili, Einar Wegener. Played by Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Einar and his wife Gerda, portrayed by Alicia Vikander (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), live together as artists, Einar is successful, while Gerda is still trying to get her foot in the door. She accomplishes that when she paints her husband as a woman, and then the game begins. A game in the beginning, but once Lili is set free, Einar can’t help but realize that Lili has been there all along and she is who he truly wants to be.
The tale revolves around the Wegener marriage and the affect that Lili has on Gerda and Einar. When Einar comes less and less, Gerda realizes she’s losing her husband and she can either support him, or walk away for good. A heart throbbing story that will bring you to tears, the realization that it’s not just some choice you make, but a decision that affects everyone around you.
By the end of the film, you will have tears in your eyes and an eye opening realization of what it was like in the early 1900s to feel like you weren’t the way you were supposed to be. A great film to go see this holiday season, and very worthy of the Golden Globe awards it’s been nominated for.
Watch the trailer below and let us know what you thought of The Danish Girl.
Photo Credit: Working Title Films