The Danish Girl

http://www.thedanishgirl.co.uk/

The Danish Girl begins it's story with married Danish artists Einar and Gerda Wegener. The couple lead a happy and passionate life, but despite this they have not produced a child that they long for. When assisting his wife by sitting for her in place of her model, Einar is asked to wear stockings and heeled shoes with a dress draped over him. Unbeknownst to Gerda, this awakens his inner identity of Lili Elbe, and so begins a journey of discovery and change for the both of them.

I saw the trailer for The Danish Girl a while ago, and having watched Mr Redmayne last New Years Day in The Theory Of Everything, which was a wonderful film with a fantastic performance from Redmayne, I was very keen to see him again in this movie. The other draw for me towards The Danish Girl was Alicia Vikander who I first saw at the end of 2014 in an advanced screening of Testament of Youth. At the time she was a complete unknown to me, and then she blew up on the big screen in 2015, appearing in Ex Machina, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Burnt. For me, her finest performance came in Testament though. She came from nowhere and put in this absolutely heartfelt performance that completely blew you away and made you feel every aspect of the war around her. And it was because of that movie that I knew she would be amazing here.

Of the two lead roles in this film, you cannot deny that Redmayne's is the showy award winner. I have no doubt that he will at the very least receive countless nominations for his performance here. And he should. It's an important story of one of the first recognised transgender women who underwent reassignment surgery, all when such procedures were experimental. However, it is Vikander's understated performance which grounds this film, and one which ultimately breaks your heart. Gerda loves Einar and supports him though the changes he ultimately needs to make in order to realise who he he truly is. Without Gerda's unwavering support Lili would take a lot longer to be realised, if at all. But all the while Einar is going through emotional and physical changes, it's Gerda we feel has to change the most. She goes from having a husband she adores, to a friend she cannot turn away from, no matter how much it hurts her to be there for Lili. She is simply superb and I hope she also gets the attention she deserves from this performance, because without her, I don't think this film would work.

You should see this if you are a fan of fantastic acting, and important stories that should be told. 8 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 1st January 2016
UK Release Date - 1st January 2016

Cast Overview:
Eddie Redmayne ~ Lili Elbe / Einar Wegener
Alicia Vikander ~ Gerda Wegener
Matthias Schoenaerts ~ Hans Axgil
Ben Whishaw ~ Henrik
Amber Heard ~ Ulla
Sebastian Koch ~ Dr Warnekros

Director ~ Tom Hooper
Writer ~ David Ebershoff (Novel) and Lucinda Coxon (Screenplay)

Rust And Bone

http://www.sonyclassics.com/rustandbone/

I will admit that when I went to see Rust And Bone this weekend I didn't know it was a subtitled movie. I probably should have guessed by the fact that there was no dialogue in the trailer. Personally I just thought that was a clever way of making the movie look good with the use of imagery and music alone. The reason I'm telling you is so that I can beg you, please, please don't let that put you off this movie.

In the film we meet Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a former boxer who has taken his son Sam away from a seemingly unstable home in Belgium in order to live with his sister and her partner in France. Whilst working as bouncer he meets the beautiful but strong willed Stephanie (Marion Cotillard), who by day trains Killer whales in the local Marine Wildlife Centre. After an accident during a whale show leaves Stephanie having to start her life over again, she finds that Ali is one of the few people she can turn to who still treats her like the person she was before. But will he let her down when she needs him the most?

I felt pulled into this film from the opening scene where Ali and Sam make their way from Belgium to France, and it didn't let go of me until way after the credits had rolled. The performances, particularly from Schoenaerts and Cotillard are so perfect that I find it hard to articulate just how good they both were. Both showed great heart and determination in their respective roles and really made you feel for their characters, even when they weren't being particularly likable. 

The film is very realistically shot but still retains beauty in almost every frame. The script sparks in both it's honesty and humor and the score compliments the movie perfectly. I honestly have nothing bad to say. Even the ending, which I thought I had predicted to a tee, managed to surprise me.

I don't often beg, but I urge you to see this movie now. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible and by next weekend it may have been replaced at your local cinema by some other Hollywood blockbuster that isn't as worthy of your time or money. Bond is sold out, so wait until next week to see it. Don't miss out on Rust and Bone. See it now. You won't regret it. 9.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 4th November 2012

UK Release Date - 2nd November 2012

Cast Overview:

Marion Cotillard ~ Stephanie

Matthias Schoenaerts ~ Alain van Versch

Armand Verdure ~ Sam

Celine Sallette ~ Louise

Corinne Masiero ~ Anna

Bouli Lanners ~ Martial

Jean-Michel Correia ~ Richard

Director ~ Jacques Audiard

Writer(s) ~ Jacques Audiard (Screenplay), Thomas Bidegain (Screenplay) and Craig Davidson (Story)