The trailer for The Danish Girl was released Tuesday and it's stunning.
Eddie Redmayne stars in his first major role since winning the Oscar for The Theory of Everything and it's clear he's going to make us break out the tissues again for this one and perhaps need to clear some more space on his award shelf. Redmayne portrays Einar Wegener, who in the early 1900s became one of the first recipients of gender reassignment surgery and became Lili Elbe. Alongside Redmayne stars Alicia Vikander who plays Einar's wife, an artist. The movie centers around their relationship-showing the two playfully falling in love, struggling with the idea of Lili coming into their lives and facing everything that comes with such a profound transition together.
Directed by Tom Hooper, known for Les Miserables and The King's Spech, their poignant story couldn't be told from a more exquisite lens. Seriously, I challenge you to pause the trailer at any moment and tell me the frame isn't devastatingly beautiful. Everything from the costumes, to the set, to Redmayne's freckles are ostentatious and gorgeous and look to be Singer Sargent paintings come to life. There are bound to be awards in these categories alone.
In the acting arena, it's become clear that the Academy loves a tough role. It's what won Redmayne is last golden statuette and what scored Tom Hanks two in the 90s. Taking on a new gender role is a pretty big undertaking that Redmayne will no doubt deliver on.
From the trailer, it's clear this final product isn't going to be a light one. There is so much emotion packed into just two and a half minutes. We see the moment Einar realizes he is more comfortable in women's clothing as he clings to a dress he modeled in for his wife's art. We see the night Lili goes out and shares a kiss with a man -- from the vantage point of a devastated Alicia. And the moment Einar decides to permanently become Lili hauntingly saying "I think Lili's thoughts. I dream her dreams."
The drama is set to hit theaters in Los Angeles and New York on November 27 and will have a widespread release in December. It will no doubt be one of the most anticipated releases this year and I won't be surprised to see a lot more awards buzz surrounding the film in the upcoming months.