Arts & Entertainment
‘Danish Girl’ masterfully realized
Trans-themed biopic is A-lister Oscar bait

It all starts out in one seemingly ordinary moment.
Prima ballerina Ulla is once again late for a sitting with portraitist Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander). Frustrated, Gerda asks her husband, famous landscape artist Einar (Eddie Redmayne), to sit in for their friend since she’s only working on the delicately extended foot. It opens today (Friday, Dec. 11) in the D.C. area.
Einar puts on the stockings, crams his feet into the slippers and holds the dress against himself as Gerda picks up her brushes and starts to paint. Einar slowly begins to caress the fabric as long-suppressed thoughts and emotions begin to emerge. Thus begins a remarkable journey for a devoted couple and a remarkable collaboration for a talented cinematic team.
Based on the largely forgotten true story of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender-reassignment surgery, “The Danish Girl” is an exceptional film. Director Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech” and “Les Misérables”) coaxes powerful performances out of his top-notch cast and collaborates smoothly with his entire creative team.
The movie, set mainly in Copenhagen and Paris in the 1920 and 1930s, looks splendid. Working seamlessly with cinematographer Danny Cohen and production designer Eve Stewart, Hooper makes the most of place and period, contrasting the rigid lines of Copenhagen (and Einar’s harsh airless landscape paintings), with the color and light of Art Nouveau Paris which supports Gerda’s emergence as an artist and Lili’s emergence as a women.
The script by Lucinda Coxon, based on the novel by David Ebershoff, is supple and sensitive, as eloquent when the actors are silent as when they are speaking. Several key sequences unfold wordlessly. Coxon does a marvelous job balancing contemporary sensitivities about gender with the realities of the time period. With incredible subtlety, she makes it clear that Lili is not gay man in drag or a straight man donning a costume, but a woman becoming her true self.
Redmayne’s performance is even more powerful than his Academy Award-winning portrayal of wheelchair-bound scientist Stephen Hawking, due in part to a stronger script and cast. With the support of movement choreographer Alexandra Reynolds, who also worked with him on “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne has developed an amazingly detailed physical vocabulary that guides him from the rigid mask of masculinity that constricts Einar to the freer expression of femininity that allows Lili to flourish. Redmayne also displays an emotional vulnerability and transparency that makes Lili’s journey incredibly compelling.
Vikander’s performance as Gerda is equally stunning and multi-faceted. As the movie opens, Gerda is deeply in love with Einar, but is also somewhat jealous of his success. He has found artistic satisfaction and popular acclaim with his detailed landscapes; she is frustrated with her attempts at conventional portraiture. When she convinces Einar to pose for her dressed as a woman, it starts as a game, but it quickly turns more serious. She finds a life-long muse, but ultimately loses a husband. With her cigarette holder clenched tight, sometimes in concentration, sometimes in frustration, sometimes in flirtation, Vikander (“Ex Machina”) brings a fascinating character to incandescent light.
The supporting cast is also excellent. Amber Heard (“Magic Mike XXL”) is a delightful find in the surprisingly pivotal of Ulla. The hard-working but fun-loving ballerina serves as a godmother of sorts to the emergent Lili. Her character helps to establish the strong bond between Einar and Gerda, but she is also the first to recognize Lili in public and recommends the clinic where Lili can finally find supportive care. Heard’s light-hearted performance brings a welcome humor and humanity to the proceedings.
Matthias Schoenaerts (“Far From the Madding Crowd”) is sleek and dapper as Parisian art dealer Hans Axgil, a childhood friend of Einar’s who helps Lili and Gerda through their transitions. Out actor Ben Whishaw (“Spectre,” “Suffragette,” “In the Heart of the Sea”) is engaging as a gay bohemian who initially misunderstands Lili’s intentions, but then becomes a supportive friend and guide. Adrian Schiller is charming as the windy but well-connected art dealer Rasmussen and Sebastian Koch is warm and wise as the doctor who finally comes to Lili’s rescue.
“The Danish Girl” may well be the finest LGBT release of 2015, although the year it is not over yet. It is definitely already in contention for well-deserved recognition in the 2016 awards races. Director Tom Hooper and a talented cast and crew have cast a powerful light on a little-known piece of LGBT history, and their moving and beautiful movie makes us reflect on how we are still learning about the mysteries of the human spirit.
Photos
PHOTOS: Goodwin Living Pride Parade
Senior living and healthcare organization holds fifth annual march at Falls Church campus

The senior living and healthcare organization Goodwin Living held its fifth annual Pride Parade around its Bailey’s Crossroads campus in Falls Church, Va. with residents, friends and supporters on Thursday, June 12.
(Photos courtesy of Goodwin Living)












You’re going to be on your feet a lot this month.
Marching in parades, dancing in the streets, standing up for people in your community. But you’re also likely to have some time to rest and reflect – and with these great new books, to read.
First, dip into a biography with “Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson” by Tourmaline (Tiny Rep Books, $30), a nice look at an icon who, rumor has it, threw the brick that started a revolution. It’s a lively tale about Marsha P. Johnson, her life, her activism before Stonewall and afterward. Reading this interesting and highly researched history is a great way to spend some time during Pride month.
For the reader who can’t live without music, try “The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman” by Niko Stratis (University of Texas Press, $27.95), the story of being trans, searching for your place in the world, and finding it in a certain comfortable genre of music. Also look for “The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship” by Bronson Lemer (University of Wisconsin Press, $19.95), a collection of essays that make up a memoir of this and that, of being queer, basic training, teaching overseas, influential books, and life.
If you still have room for one more memoir, try “Walk Like a Girl” by Prabal Gurung (Viking, $32.00). It’s the story of one queer boy’s childhood in India and Nepal, and the intolerance he experienced as a child, which caused him to dream of New York and the life he imagined there. As you can imagine, dreams and reality collided but nonetheless, Gurung stayed, persevered, and eventually became an award-winning fashion designer, highly sought by fashion icons and lovers of haute couture. This is an inspiring tale that you shouldn’t miss.
No Pride celebration is complete without a history book or two.
In “Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day” by Alex L. Combs & Andrew Eakett ($24.99, Candlewick Press), you’ll see that being trans is something that’s as old as humanity. One nice part about this book: it’s in graphic novel form, so it’s lighter to read but still informative. Lastly, try “So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color” by Caro De Robertis (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. $32.00) a collection of thoughts, observations, and truths from over a dozen people who share their stories. As an “oral history,” you’ll be glad to know that each page is full of mini-segments you can dip into anywhere, read from cover to cover, double-back and read again. It’s that kind of book.
And if these six books aren’t enough, if they don’t quite fit what you crave now, be sure to ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for help. There are literally tens of thousands of books that are perfect for Pride month and beyond. They’ll be able to determine what you’re looking for, and they’ll put it directly in your hands. So stand up. March. And then sit and read.

Baltimore Orioles Pride Night will be held on Wednesday, June 25 at 6:35 p.m. at Orioles Park at Camden Yards.
Festivities include immersive Pride decorations, pregame music, crafts, face painting, Pride merchandise, and more. The first 15,000 fans will receive an Orioles Pride jersey. Tickets are available on the Orioles’ website.
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