The Danish Girl (2015)

[Athena]

Directed by Tom Hooper, based on the 2000 novel of the same name by David Ebershoff and loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegener, Matthias Schoenaerts as Hans Axgil and Ben Whishaw as Henrik.

 

The film was released in a limited release on November 27, 2015. The film will be released on 1 January 2016 in the UK. Since there does not appear to be a US wide release date at the moment, I think we can allow spoiler filled discussion if you have seen it.

[vavera4ka]

I saw it couple of weeks ago.

It made me confused and conflicted on few levels. I guess that was kinda the goal. I felt the worst for Gerda: she married, what seemed to be the perfect guy, and got a "bff with issues" instead. And the love she had was so strong, and so sad. I was devastated for her.

Eddie Redmayne was a lot more feminine and delicate and natural when he wasn't trying to be Lilly, but I read somewhere that it was a director's choice to show the struggles with inners self and the outside world or something like that. If it is true, the acting was brilliant, from everyone, not just Eddie.

I did not understand how you could live your life and seem to be quite happy and then suddenly there's Lilly. And it's not even Lilly that was there all the time (although it seemed like SOMEONE was there). Gerda gave him a name. If you are that conflicted, this body is that wrong, if there was someone inside you since childhood, you'd think you would have come up with the name for her long time ago... You probably won't grow up to be this great husband, nice guy, acclaimed painter if you have conflict of that magnitude inside your head... I don't know, maybe the book has a lot more inner struggle and dialogue and fore-story, and I'm sure I will never understand that kind of feeling and conflict because it's not something you can easily imagine and draw from "average" life experience. I guess you have to "be there" but I didn't believe the story that much. Which is not acting fault, more of a story itself. Like I said maybe book goes deeper into all the issues, but I don't think I can re-live Gerda's story again, and deeper, since printed story usually is. So i'll just stay like this :) yes, for me the movie was more about Gerda and the way she dealt with this, than Lilly and her struggles.

Though my experience got "ruined" (and I WILL ruin it for you the same way lol, cause I'm evil like that) by my friend asking: Does Hans know he is Vladimir Putin? LMAO omg I could not un-see it.

Hey if someone wants to make a movie about Russian president there's your lead actor, very little make up required lol he should start working on his Russian accent and judo skills lol

Edited December 30, 2015 by vavera4ka

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

I loved it in the moment but it inspired me to research Lili Elbe, and the disparities between the real life Elbe and Redmayne's character were broad. Elbe was in her forties when she had the surgery, but had spent most of her marriage living openly as Lili by that point. Gerda Gottlieb (her wife) was bisexual, and maintained a romantic relationship with her long past her "coming out", although when the French government got wind that Lili was born male they dissolved the marriage. Gerda was living with her new husband when she learned of Lili's death, and she was saddened, but unable to be there. Also, the film implies Lili died from surgical complications--she died when her body rejected her transplanted uterus. Transplanted organs are no longer part of modern SRS surgery.

A trans activist group on Facebook noted that The Danish Girl is a trans movie for cis people, and I'm inclined to agree. Hewing closer to the story of Elbe's life, as well as bringing in actual trans people to have a meaningful place in the production would've made for a richer story, IMHO.

[truthaboutluv]

I did not understand how you could live your life and seem to be quite happy and then suddenly there's Lilly. And it's not even Lilly that was there all the time (although it seemed like SOMEONE was there). Gerda gave him a name. If you are that conflicted, this body is that wrong, if there was someone inside you since childhood, you'd think you would have come up with the name for her long time ago... You probably won't grow up to be this great husband, nice guy, acclaimed painter if you have conflict of that magnitude inside your head...

 

While I agree about the name (although, when I remembered the time this all happened, I can somewhat believe it and understand a bit more why he didn't give a name or maybe even a face to this person inside him that he didn't even really understand or know), I disagree about the other stuff. Plenty of trans people have done that - lived a whole "normal" life all the while knowing something wasn't quite right. But fear, confusion, etc. forces them to keep it buried and never really give a name and face to what they're feeling. That seemed perfectly believable to me.

 

Especially because I do believe Lily loved Gerda. So it didn't seem unrealistic or unbelievable to me that while Eigner was trying to live a "normal" life and bury that confusion, he would marry Gerda and pursue a respectable career and do all the things that were expected of a young gentleman of that time. I do believe Gerda helped bring Lily to life when she didn't freak out about Eigner in her clothes and seemed to get off on it instead. I think it gave her the courage to be more open but then things became complicated when Gerda realized Lily wasn't just a character or a part of Eigner he made come out once in awhile but who he truly believed he was. And the marriage became strained as Eigner slowly started disappearing and Lily became fully realized.

 

Honestly, I found it all very believable. Also, it was subtle, but I do think the movie showed that Lily existed right from the start. The scene when Eigner comes to the studio where Gerda's friend is getting fitted and he gently brushes his hand across the costumes and the dresses spoke volumes to me. And there was always something delicate and feminine about Eigner, I thought, right from the start. 

 

Elbe was in her forties when she had the surgery, but had spent most of her marriage living openly as Lili by that point. Gerda Gottlieb (her wife) was bisexual, and maintained a romantic relationship with her long past her "coming out", although when the French government got wind that Lili was born male they dissolved the marriage. Gerda was living with her new husband when she learned of Lili's death, and she was saddened, but unable to be there. Also, the film implies Lili died from surgical complications--she died when her body rejected her transplanted uterus. Transplanted organs are no longer part of modern SRS surgery.

 

Well the movie is based on the book The Danish Girl, which was written based off of writings of Lily's that were done while she was still transitioning and beginning the surgeries. From my understanding, she and Gerda lived fairly obscure lives after the public found out about them so it's entirely possible there isn't much that people truly know for a fact after that. 

 

Also, I think the movie did show that Gerda and Lili maintained a relationship after the latter came out. In fact, that seemed to be the whole point of the movie in my opinion - the love story between them. Yes, they showed that it was harder on Gerda the more Eigner disappeared because as I noted above, I think at first she was okay with Lily existing as a part of Eigner but then eventually realized that Eigner was disappearing and was slowly no longer existing and that was hard. But she kept loving Eigner and later Lily.  

 

And the movie did introduce Hans' character as clearly a love interest for Gerda, so I don't think they fully hid the fact that she likely moved on with someone else. And I am fine with the change of her being there when Lily died even if that's not exactly how it happened in real life because again it fit the love story theme of the movie. As for how Lily died, again, I'm not sure the movie really changed anything. We know Lili was getting her female parts and died after the surgery. Honestly you can infer it was complications from the surgery or her body rejecting the part, but in a way, isn't the latter a complication of the surgery? The point is and I believe what the movie and story was saying is that the procedure was incredibly dangerous and risky for the time but Eigner/Lily was willing to take that risk to be herself completely.

 

I enjoyed the movie. I thought Eddie and Alicia both did amazing jobs and thought they both sold the heart and emotion of the story. I felt so much empathy for both Gerda and Eigner/Lily. I cannot imagine loving someone who ultimately becomes someone else because who they were born as isn't really who they are. And for Eigner, I cannot imagine living your life feeling so lost and confused and especially considering the time this all happened in. Which reminds me, I liked them showing all the doctors Eigner went to and showing how back then, anything that was deemed slightly "not normal", the answer was shock therapy. Have an eating disorder - shock therapy, think you are really a woman - shock therapy, gay - shock therapy, etc. That is so scary and crazy. The scene where the doctor ran off to get orderlies armed with a straight jacket for Eigner was unbelievable. 

Edited January 3, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[wlk68]

I saw this yesterday and all I can come up with is ... meh. There's something about Redmayne's appearance that I find offputting and I have hard time getting past it to focus on the performance. But when I did manage, all I saw was a lot of stuff I've seen done better by other actors in other films.

I liked the sets, the costumes, the lighting, the dog and Amber Heard as Ulla the dancer. She leapt off the screen. The only other thing I got from this is that I'd really like to visit Copenhagen.

All that being said, I won't be surprised if Redmayne gets an Oscar nom because AMPAS eats it up when an actor physically transforms for a role.

[truthaboutluv]

Considering Eddie's been nominated for the SAG and Golden Globe, I think he's a sure bet for an Oscar nomination (of course these things do happen - just ask Ben Affleck about that no Best Director nomination). The SAG was especially telling considering how many big name actors and heavy favorites were snubbed. 

[raezen]

I just saw this film yesterday. I thought it was alright. The performances were great, I thought the connection between Gerda and Einer/Lilly was beautifully done. Hell, I'd see another film with Redmayne and Vikander as a couple. I think Vikander is a wonderful actress... who was most definitely a lead in this film. In the scene when we meet the man that will be her new love interest and he referred to her on the phone as a Danish girl he was meeting I almost started laughing because this was definitely feeling like her movie.

I know that this film was not the slam dunk for Redmayne that was expected when it was first announced, some critics didn't love him in this I thought he was quite good. I actually enjoyed seeing him get bolder with his interactions with people and become comfortable as Lilly.

Overall I have to say even though this wasn't the film some trans activists probably wanted it was better storytelling than Carol and I saw Carol in a theatre but this one at home. I think I should have done it the other way around.

Edited March 28, 2016 by raezen