Based on a novel. The Danish Girl also marks the first time director Tom Hooper gets around to making a semi-decent drama that’s enough to keep your attention but narrative sparse enough to just about justify its critical and awards-attention.
But after all is said and done, is this multiple-Oscar nominated film about the pioneering between-the-wars transgender painter Einar Wegener simply yet another vessel for Eddie Redmayne to continue on his award-clutching warpath, and to cement Hooper as the reliable go-to option for sumptuous period dramas laced with ‘human interest’.
In Copenhagen in the early 1920s Danish artist, Gerda Wegener( Alicia Vikander), while struggling to establish herself independently of her own successful painter husband, Einar Wegener( Redmayne), encourages him to stand in for a truant female model for a portrait. This proves to be something of a turning point for Gerda’s art, as previously skittish art dealers start to finally give her time of day. But what starts off as a convenient career for Gerda ignites a far more significant spark for Einar.
The Danish Girl ultimately remains a triumph for Tom Hooper. He had a far too easy head-start with the crowd pleasing. We can enjoy the undeniably beautiful shots of both Copenhagen and Paris with the occasional landscape scene that segues into an actual painting as they happen.