Films > DVD Reviews

The Danish Girl

26/04/16

Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander are jaw-droppingly good in The Danish Girl, with Redmayne turning in a performance of understated power and complexity that cements his reputation as the go-to guy for physically demanding roles. I’m getting that out of the way early because, otherwise, I have some serious misgivings about this ostensibly true story of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe.

The conversation surrounding transgender issues has become impossible to ignore over the last year or so, and rightly so. That said, my problem with TDG is that while it presents itself as a true story, it is, in fact, only loosely based on a book which was, in turn, only loosely based on fact. This means that TDG’s more syrupy and sentimental moments (of which there are many) are very difficult to accept as poetic license, and make the whole film appear glib, manipulative, opportunistic and, ultimately, patronizing.

If mainstream films have any worth at all other than as pretty distractions, then it is their ability to catalyze change, and what I find unforgivable about TDG is that it misses an opportunity to be genuinely important. It could have been a powerful contribution to the ongoing discussion around transgenderism and its mainstream acceptance, but by its reluctance to say anything potentially challenging about its subject, it is reduced to little more than a tragic love story (albeit a sumptuously presented one) that seems to exploit the conversation rather than add to it.

In short, The Danish Girl doesn’t have any balls.