Saturday, 2 January 2016

FILM: The Danish Girl (dir: Tom Hooper, 2016)

 "Not everything is about you."

The Danish Girl pretty much lives up to expectations: it is a beautifully shot (by Danny Cohen, a Hooper stalwart), leisurely in pace, carefully directed and is as much to do with art, the senses and a remarkable love story as it is with the transgender issue.  Eddie Redmayne is strong if a little theatrical at times, there is good support from Matthias Schoenaerts and Ben Whishaw in particular, but the film undoubtedly belongs to Alicia Vikander in a striking and luminous performance that engages throughout with its nuance and credibility.  There are emotional short-cuts that jar in the second half, but overall the film is sincere, thoughtful and addresses some of the prejudices that still exist.


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