In the movie The Danish Girl, (one of 2015 Movie releases that could earn multiple Oscar nominations), Eddie Redmayne is going for his second Best Actor Oscar win in a row.
Inspired by the true story of Danish artists Lili Elbe and her wife Gerda, this tender portrait of a marriage asks: What do you do when someone you love wants to change? The movie (and novel) is a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe, one of the first people to get a female to get a sex change.
Set against the glitz and decadence of 1920s Copenhagen, Paris and Dresden, The Danish Girl is about one of the most passionate and unusual marriages of the twentieth century. Einar Wegener and his American wife Greta Waud have been married for six years, but are yet to have a child. Both painters, they live a life of bohemian languor in Copenhagen until one day their lives are irreversibly altered. The Danish Girl eloquently portrays the intimacy that defines a marriage and the nearly forgotten story of the love between a man who discovers that he is, in fact, a woman, and his wife who would sacrifice anything for him. This elegantly written, sensual and engrossing story is a wonderful celebration of love and life.
The novel of the same name was adapted into the feature film directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).
Originally, The Danish Girl was to be directed by Tomas Alfredson, who was later replaced by Lasse Hallström (My Life As A Dog, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules).
A number of actresses had also been linked to the project, including Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron and Rachel Weisz. Non of them made the cut. Newcomer Alicia Vikander got the role as Gerda Wegener.
