I walked into the cinema knowing absolutely nothing about the movie except that it was about a transgender woman. I didn’t even watch the trailer. My friends asked if I wanted to watch it and not being one to shy away from anything new I decided to tag along.

The Danish Girl is a British drama film based on the fictional novel of the same name by David Ebershoff, which was loosely inspired by the lives of the Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film is set in mid-1920s Copenhagen, where a man, Einar, while standing in as a female model for his wife, begin to realize that he is in fact a woman trapped in a male body. This is when everything starts to unfold; the film explores the struggles of Einar and Gerda’s relationship, the troubles they face and the sacrifices they make.

This movie caught me off guard in the most poignant and magical way. I walked in the cinema with the idea that the film was going to be about a man becoming a woman, but in actual fact the film was really about deep, unconditional love. I was completely captivated by everything the movie offered: the cinematography, acting and story-telling meld together to produce something so enchantingly beautiful.

I don’t want to give anything away but when my friends broke down during certain points of the movie I remained stoic and unrelenting. Not because I didn’t feel moved but because I felt a sadness for the characters so heavy that I didn’t know how to show my emotions.

There is a reason why the film and cast have gotten so many nominations and clinched their fair share of awards; The Danish Girl showed me exactly what love is, and what it could be.

VERDICT: 4/5
The film kind of drags on around the middle, but picks up a little later on.

Jojo Chia