For the happily married artist Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) there had been a time when his childhood self had thought and felt like Lili. When his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) dresses him as a Lili for a party, they unleash Lili from the depths of Einar's psyche. Now they must confront the truth about Einar/Lili, and find a way to live and love with the consequences.

It is still early in the twentieth century, and Einar finds brutality and despair in his interactions with the medical establishment. Until at last he meets a surgeon willing to perform the world's first transgender operations.

Alicia Vikander and Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl © 2015 Universal Pictures

Lili is an important figure in the history of transgender people. This story is told with great care, examining the effects on her marriage, herself, her wife, and her friends. The Danish Girl is a film extraordinarily good to look at, and compelling to watch.

It makes a person of an issue, it tells a tale of love and understanding and loss, and it does so with kindness and honesty. The Danish Girl is well worth your time.

by Ali Kayn Australian release 26 December 2016 For credits and official site details, see below Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below. See also:

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Just the facts: Title: The Danish Girl (2015) Written by: David Ebershoff (novel), Lucinda Coxon (screenplay) Directed by: Tom Hooper Running time: 119 mins Rating: The Players: Alicia Vikander, Eddie Redmayne Official website: www.workingtitlefilms.com IMDb entry For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section. For more information about this movie, check out the internet movie database. For the latest additions to Festivale, check out the change history section.

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