Let's start with The Danish Girl's intriguing trailer which I happened to share a couple of months back right here. Trailer
That
slight touch of the frilly frock and silken stockings changed everything: it
made Einar, Lilli Elbe.
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| A still from the movie. Photo Courtesy: Internet |
Eddie
Redmayne is back this year (in India, that is, otherwise the movie saw a November
27 in the US) as Lilli aka Einar Wegener in the Danish girl after stunning each
of us with his incredible portrayal of Stephen hawking in the theory of
everything.
One fine day, Gerda asks her husband
to fill in for a life model; she was making a portrait of. The ever supportive
and loving husband readily agrees and laughingly pulls on a pair of silken
stockings and ballet shoes. Einar is teasingly named Lilli while he enjoys all
the attention. Together with his partner in crime, Gerda, he cooks up a plan to
attend a society ball with Einar dressed as Lilli and introducing himself to
the world as Einar’s cousin.
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| Lilli caresses herself as she admires herself in the mirror. Photo Courtesy: Internet |
Gerda
decides to paint Lilli and Einar continues to pitch in. Lilli’s portraits are a
huge success in the market and they make good money out of it. Life enters a
dark phase at a point when Einar just cannot resist being dressed as Lilli. A
couple of relationships here and there, Lilli is still trying to find her way
into the world. Soon, Einar is lost completely somewhere.
Redmayne
is slaying it yet again. An Oscar nomination has already arrived. Very honest
in his portrayal of the character, Eddie, it seems was walking on a tight rope
and balances just fine.
Not only Redmayne’s but Alicia Vikander's performance in Tom
Hooper’s film will draw you into their lives from where you can closely witness
their emotional turmoil, both individually and together. Alicia as Einar’s
wife, Gerda is the surprise element in the movie, finely showcasing what a
woman goes through when her husband has just
discovered that he is a woman from inside. “Can I have my husband back? I want
to talk to him”, she pleads. Lilli responds, “I’m sorry”.
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| Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl. Photo Courtesy: Internet |
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| Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl. Photo Courtesy: Internet |
Dated back to 1926, the story chronicles the life of Lilli
Elbe, one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery. At its core,
the story is a beautifully crafted transformative saga of two extraordinary
souls, and the profound love that they share. "Leave it. Let her fly", says Gerda as Lilli's scarf floats away in the breeze. These closing lines of the film says it all.
Your heart goes out for Einar while he is being thrashed by
local eve teasers on the roadside for being gay. There comes a conscious giggle
from a corner of the theatre hall. Things haven’t changed since Einar’s time.
Sigh.
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