The Danish Girl (2015)

Based on the novel by David Ebershoff, which was itself a fictionalised version of true events, this film tells the story of Lili Elbe, the first person to ever successfully undergo gender reassignment surgery.

Copenhagen. 1926. Famous Danish painter Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) lives with his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander). Einar's landscapes are celebrated by art lovers all over the country, while Gerda's portraits are still not receiving recognition; apparently, they are not of the right subject.

Her latest portrait is of their close friend, Ulla (Amber Heard), who is a beautiful young dancer. When Ulla is running late for a sitting, Gerda asks Einar if he will put on her stockings and shoes, just so she can finish up the feet in the painting.

But something still isn't right. Gerda needs Einar to hold the dress against his body, so she can see how the hem of the dress falls against the legs of the stockings.

While sitting there, something awakens in Einar, and he realises he is not the person he is meant to be, but that instead, he feels he is a woman trapped inside a man's body.

There is a party going on one night, to which Gerda and Ulla have both been invited. Gerda brings Einar along - dressed as a female and going by the name Lili - to keep her company. Gerda has begun painting portraits of Lili, which are gaining favour among the art elite.

Einar (Eddie Redmayne) poses for his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander).

At the party, Lili is the talk of the moment, and a young man named Henrik (Ben Whishaw) seems quite taken with her. When Gerda sees the two of them kiss, she becomes incredibly jealous and tells Einar that this has to stop immediately.

But Einar - now exclusively living at home as Lili - isn't able to just switch this off. It isn't a phase, he tells her, nor is it a game; this is the person (s)he was always meant to be.

But in the 1920s, the word transgender - a common term these days - wasn't known, and the issues of gender dysphoria were certainly not discussed, or even fully understood. Gerda takes her husband from doctor to doctor, receiving diagnoses ranging from a chemical imbalance to perversion to schizophrenia.

It isn't until they discover unorthodox doctor, Professor Warnekros (Sebastian Koch) in Dresden, that Lili hears of a groundbreaking surgical procedure allowing her body to be brought into line with the way she feels inside.

Lili (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda (Alicia Vikander) discussing what their
future as a couple will look like.

The screenplay, adapted from Ebershoff's novel by Lucinda Coxon, is absolutely beautiful. Every time I watch this film - and it's been a few times now - it makes me cry. The first time I watched it, I cried for the entire duration of the film, it's just such a beautiful and heartbreaking story.

The quality of the adaptation is superb. I have also read the novel, and while the novel is able to go into much greater detail of the inner workings of Lili's mind, the film must rely on external elements throughout. The novel also has much more graphic descriptions of Lili's various encounters with different men that could not have been depicted on film, and the filmmakers have dealt with this 'restriction' very well, while still keeping to the truth of the story and of the characters.

I only have to mention the name Alexandre Desplat, and you already know the score is going to be magnificent. There are a lot of sections of the score that feature only a solo instrument, primarily piano, and these are all perfectly suited to the sections of the film where they feature, not necessarily to the action on screen but rather the emotions of the characters in the scene.

Eve Stewart's production design is amazing. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her work on this film - she sadly didn't win - and the reasons for her nomination are plainly clear to anyone watching. The recreation of 1920s Copenhagen is flawless; Copenhagen is an absolutely beautiful city even today, and it photographs incredibly well.

Gerda (Alicia Vikander) supporting Lili (Eddie Redmayne) as she recovers
from gender reassignment surgery.

This seems like an ideal moment to mention the cinematography. Cinematographer Danny Cohen has also done an amazing job of capturing life in Copenhagen, and later in the film Paris and Dresden. His use of light - and skill in contrasting light and dark - is amazing; the film is a joy to watch not only from an emotional standpoint, but from a visual one, too.

The performances of the cast, in particular Redmayne and Vikander, are fabulous. Redmayne's portrayal of femininity is brilliant, and earned him a nomination for an Academy Award. Vikander actually won the Academy Award she was nominated for for her role in this film, an award which was well deserved.

Another reason this film always makes me cry is Alicia Vikander's performance in every scene. She portrays a woman who, despite some challenges and some difficulties for her in dealing with changes in her husband - the man she married - manages to keep her wedding vows until the film's end, such is the strength of her love and her commitment.

Director Tom Hooper has outdone himself yet again with this film. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you make a point to do so as soon as possible.

9 out of 10.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

The wait is finally over. The sequel to the 1964 classic is here. And it is something to behold.

It is 30 years after the events of the original. Jane and Michael Banks (Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw) are now grown up. Michael has 3 children of his own: Anabel (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanael Saleh) and Georgie (Joel Dawson). Their mother has recently passed away, and their life is difficult to say the least.

It is into this situation that Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) steps in to help sort things out.

Also in this film, we meet Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame) who was an apprentice to Bert from the original film. He is a lamplighter in the streets of London, and has his own part in the ensuing adventures.

I won't say anything more about the plot, because I believe to do so would spoil your own enjoyment of this film. I thought long and hard about something I could say, or give away, but there really is nothing.

For fans of the original film, this film will give you that same enjoyment, as the tone and feel of the film are so similar, as Rob Marshall - the film's director - is a huge fan of the original, and has tried to create something that is so close to the original, but also goes further in telling the story of these characters. And he has done a wonderful job of that. If you are not a fan of the original film, I would advise you not to worry too much about seeing this one, as whatever it was that you didn't like about the first film will be just as present in this one, and you wouldn't like this, either.

But being a fan of the 1964 film myself, I loved this sequel. Emily Blunt is inspired casting at its best, and portrays this role made famous by Julie Andrews, with impeccable skill. Her portrayal of Mary is not completely identical to Julie Andrews, but she brings her own abilities to the fore throughout. And it is still very much the Mary Poppins we have known and loved for decades.

Speaking of inspired casting, Lin-Manuel Miranda is also incredible in his role. In fact, his first musical number - which appears right at the beginning of the film - is by far my favourite song in the entire film. I left the theatre humming the tune, and still at the time of writing this review have the words stuck in my head. And he even nails the Cockney accent!

The rest of the cast are great, too. There is not a person out of place in this film as far as I could tell. Other notable appearances include Meryl Streep, in a role that showcases her musical abilities in an even greater way that Into the Woods did years ago; Colin Firth as a truly believable villain, played in a not-too-understated way; and Karen Dotrice, the original Jane Banks, in a beautifully sweet cameo that fans of the original will love. Even Dick van Dyke makes an appearance, and shows that even at the age of 92, he can still pull off a ripper of a song and dance number.

Of course, one can't review a musical film such as this without talking about the songs. Marc Shaiman (music) and Scott Wittman (lyrics) have created some really fantastic moments throughout, even using Miranda's abilities with rap (again, think Hamilton) to great effect.

The animation sequences are done brilliantly, and again harken back to the original. All the voice cast have been chosen well, and there was not a moment where I doubted that the characters were truly in a magical world.

Everything about this film is a reminder of just how enjoyable the first film was all those years ago, and indeed, has been for years since and continues to be, while at the same time, bringing these characters and stories to a whole new generation of fans. I enjoyed almost every moment of it.

9 out of 10.