Good Essay On The Danish Girl Film Review

Filmed by Tom Hooper in 2015, The Danish Girl brings us to Denmark in the 20th century to tell us moving and both inspiring and tragic story of the first transgender in the history – famous painter Einar Wegener, or Lili Elbe as he preferred to be called.
His metamorphosis begins when, posing to his wife Gerda Wegener in woman’s clothes, Einar finds this experience somewhat confusing and intriguing at the same time. But the moment he actually discovers his real nature, his passion is when he finds himself at a party kissing with another man in a woman’s appearance. The further story spins around Einar’s and his wife’s feelings and inner turmoil, their attempts to accept or fight the new reality where Einar’s alter ego overpowers himself.
The most precious and valuable point of the whole film is obviously the story itself. It tells us about a man who simply wants to be at peace with himself, strives for his appearance to reflect his inner state of mind, a vision of himself. It happens in the time when such thoughts were dangerous, they were considered symptoms of mental diseases.
After watching The Danish Girl I got an impression that director puts a focus on emotional sufferings of the main characters. Psychological impact remains strong throughout the whole picture.
Thanks to this cinema piece I discovered as actors both Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. I feel it is necessary to point out that Mr. Redmayne was definitely the best choice for the leading part. I was totally dazzled to see him so easily and so naturally transform into a woman; he precisely imitated the way women look, walk, eat, drink, and even blush. Of course, I could not help empathizing the protagonist in his inner conflict, where he feels need to be what he really is which was, first of all, forbidden in the 1920th, it was hurting Gerda – the woman who never left his side. Which leads us to another significant part of the movie – the female lead Gerda Wegener performed by lovely Alicia Vikander. She represents a non-typical wife: just as her husband Gerda is a painter, a portraitist, eager to be recognized by the broad public. The mastership Ms. Vikander plays a role of the loving wife that supports her beloved one even in his darkest times is life-asserting, made me wish to have a person like her by my side. I also mesmerize how Alicia Vikander pictured duality of her character: Gerda is tender but so incredibly strong! During the film we see her vulnerable, broken and bleeding from the pain inside her, then recovering and honestly willing to help her husband be happy at any cost.
I would like to go into cinematography details I have outlined while watching the movie. Decorations play an important role in defining and magnifying total mood of the picture and particularly characters’ emotions. As an especially bright example, I would define contrasting apartments the Wegener’s live in Denmark and then in Paris and the correlation with the internal emotional state of the characters, with the relationship between the husband and the wife.
First of all, I would like to analyze the color scheme common for the film. The colors are not bright or vibrant; they are dim, cold, and dull. There is no definite light source in the pictures. Even occasional shots of the gloomy weather support general tonality. From the very first shots viewer unconsciously percepts that the picture is not about something easy, light or happy; on the contrary, prevailing dark colors exaggerate seriousness and complexity of the brought up problem.
Let us get a closer look at other surroundings showed in the film. The apartments Einar and Gerda live in Denmark are simple, commodious, airy, not loaded with details. So is the marital life: simple, not loaded with problems, they love each other and are happy just as they are. Nothing overshadows their lives. Then we see a new apartment in Paris: chic, richly furnished and overwhelmed with all the decoration details rooms. So are the husband and the wife: overwhelmed with everything going on in their lives. That is exactly when Einar dives deeply into the chosen life of Lili Elbe, when passions are rising and the outcome is undefined more than ever.
Yet another detail is remarkable: when living in Denmark Gerda strived for professional success and acknowledgment but when she has it all she discovers herself unhappy than ever before. Such simple idea that money or fame do not necessarily make you happy.
I had huge expectation from The Danish Girl. It is not an entertainment picture but a deeply moving one, which awakens the strongest empathetic feelings. It is a story about the great courage it takes sometimes to be who you are and willingness for revolutionary deeds when you stand alone against the whole world that does not understand you. Even in the modern era when society is much more open minded it is not easy to enjoy being who you are let alone to bring yourself to such dramatic changes as gender reassignment. So I think that the aspect of social disapproval and revulsion is even insufficiently described. Otherwise, the film is brilliant and definitely worth Oscar nominations.