Eddie Redmayne is following up his Oscar-Nominated role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything by taking on another historical trailblazer in The Danish Girl. Redmayne is playing Danish artist Lili Elbe, who was one of the first people to ever undergo gender confirmation surgery to treat gender dysphoria. While it would be ideal to have a transgender person cast in the title role, the movie is already generating Oscar buzz, and a trailer hasn't even landed yet. However, The Danish Girl poster has arrived, and it is absolutely stunning in its simplicity. Even without seeing any footage of the film, one look at the soft, golden-hued poster will leave you aching to see this sure-to-be-outstanding film.
The poster puts the spotlight on the remarkable couple at the film's center, Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. With a stunning juxtaposition of the couple's faces, stars Redmayne and Alicia Vikander fill the poster. It's sparse, but it works because the film will focus so much on the changing nature of their relationship, as Redmayne's character, who was assigned male at birth, slowly begins to realize that dressing in women's clothing is not simply acting or a means of artistic expression — it is an extension of showing her true self as a transgender woman. Vikander, who plays Gerda, Lili's wife, is the first to photograph her spouse in women's clothing, and she supports Lili throughout her transition, even as she grapples with the changing nature of their relationship. The poster puts the focus squarely on the characters, and, more so than most films, The Danish Girl will be all about the characters — their journey, their identities, and their love.
The couple's marriage will be strained over the course of the movie as a love triangle develops, but The Danish Girl will undoubtedly be most notable for bringing Lili's story to light. When she underwent gender confirmation surgery in 1930s Germany, the surgery was highly experimental and risky. However, Lili's desire to live as her true self led her to blaze a trail for transgender people. This inspirational woman's story is nowhere near as well-known as it should be, and the poster, which showcases Redmayne's transformation, gives me hope that The Danish Girl will live up to expectations.
Check out the poster below.
The Danish Girl, directed by the award-winning Tom Hooper, will premiere in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, November 27, with additional cities set to be added in December 2015.
Images: Lionsgate (2)
