CAN Eddie Redmayne win a second Best Actor Oscar for The Danish Girl?
 
The Danish Girl review: Eddie Redmayne ready for his second Oscar
Eddie's attention to detail is amazing
 
THE DANISH GIRL 
5/5
(Cert 15; 120mins)
His performance as transgender trailblazer Einar Wegener is amazing in its attention to physical detail and in the level of emotional commitment.
He completely draws you into the mental state of a gentle soul who has been born a man and yearns, body and soul, to become a woman. The film itself is perhaps guilty of being too tasteful for its own good but the sense of dignified restraint and the quality of the performances still combine to create a touching human drama.
The story begins in the Copenhagen of 1926. Einar is an acclaimed painter who is completely devoted to his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander), an aspiring artist who cannot find the success that her work should merit.
 
The Danish Girl review: Eddie Redmayne ready for his second Oscar
Redmayne plays trailblazer Elinar Wegener
 
That sense of devotion never falters in the storm of everything that happens to them and the film is very intent on providing both sides of the story.
The Danish Girl offers further testimony to the range of her talent and she makes Gerda into a figure of great compassion and understanding
It is Gerda who encourages Einar to explore his feminine side and who helps him create the alter ego of Lili Elbe for a party that they will attend together.
His pale complexion, razor sharp cheekbones and willowy frame give Redmayne an androgynous look that is reminiscent of David Bowie in the 1970s. He transforms himself into a woman that nobody thinks to question. His shy glances and eager, Bambi-eyes all underline Einar's fragility and the sense of thrilling triumph when he appears in public as "cousin" Lili. Demure, impeccably behaved Lili even wins an admirer in Henrik (Ben Whishaw) who says: "You're different from most girls."
 
The Danish Girl review: Eddie Redmayne ready for his second Oscar
The English star wins his Oscar or The Theory of Everything
 
What begins as a risky dare and a bit of a lark becomes something much more meaningful to Einar. Redmayne tries on his new identity like a set of clothes. His long, tapering fingers curl and glide, creating delicate patterns in the air. He arranges his long legs into comfortable poses. He gradually assumes the persona of the woman he wants to be and we believe every gesture he makes. Large parts of that 1920s world think he is insane and suffering from a chemical imbalance that could be cured with radical intervention.
Gerda remains on his side even as she must accept that she is gradually losing the man that she still loves. There is a tragedy that underlines their love story. Gerda undertakes her own incredible journey and her decision to stay the course and remain an incredibly supportive wife makes her just as heroic as Einar/Lili.
 
Alicia enjoyed an amazing breakthrough year in 2015 with her performances in Ex Machina and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The Danish Girl offers further testimony to the range of her talent and she makes Gerda into a figure of great compassion and understanding.
Director Tom Hooper, who made The King's Speech and Les Misérables, maintains a sense of delicacy and dignity throughout The Danish Girl.
  
The Danish Girl review: Eddie Redmayne ready for his second Oscar
The film never seems overly dramtic or exploitative despite the subject matter
 
He respects the story and respects Lili by making a film that never feels overly melodramatic or exploitative.
Hooper presents the facts, shows the emotions and honours the human being leaving the story of Lili to make its own quietly devastating impact on the audience.

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