The Danish Girl

(In this guest post, Literotica author stickygirl gives us her thoughts on the recently released film: The Danish Girl.) 

From the perspective of a transgender woman as well a cinema-goer, I was impatient, if apprehensive, to see this film. It seems to have had such a long run of reviews these past months before its official release in the UK on 1^st January.

Seeing Working Title in the credits as producers is almost a guarantee of authenticity both in terms of locations and costumes and this story set in the early 1900’s is a treat for the eyes. Working Title are a bold company and put an enormous amount of trust in directors - as needed here. This is a semi-biographical film, based on the diaries of Lili Ilse Elvenes, aka Lili Elbe; we must assume a good deal of artistic licence was granted in the characterisation of both Lili, played by Eddie Redmayne, and her wife Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander), who are the main protagonists.

As we join The Danish Girl, they are young successful painters and a devoted husband and wife, full of fun. In a moment of whimsy, Gerda suggests her husband, Einar, stand in for a missing female client, whose portrait she must complete. We are shown that this provides a spark that finally awakens the soul of Lili, who then emerges, full of guilt and fear to the initial bemusement of Gerda. When Lili seeks medical help, she is met with professional contempt and at one point has to flee the threat of a strait-jacket and their home country of Denmark.

The weight of the film focuses more on the strain in the relationship between the blossoming Lili and Gerda. Alicia Vikander as Gerda brilliantly portrays an entirely believable, three-dimensional character. Indeed our sympathies lie more with her torment, which is allowed space and credibility, and less so with Redmayne’s character. We are left as sympathetic observers to Lili/Einar and I felt let down by this aspect of the film. Instead of a film about a woman struggling with her gender identity, it defaults to a standard human-interest story about a marriage in crisis. Heart rending at times, but the focus is always on Gerda. Instead of Lili growing into someone stronger, we see her slipping away from her marriage, her art and finally her life.

If you’re looking to know more about transgender issues, then you may be disappointed but if you enjoy a beautifully made, period love story, then go see it. From an LGBT perspective, it does no harm, but I’m left wanting to know more about the real Lili.