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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 24 JANUARY 2016 38 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY St James Cavalier Valletta Tel. 21 223200 Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema – The Taming of the Shrew 16:00 Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 The Hateful Eight (18) 10:15, 14:00, 17:30, 20:50 Danish Girl (15) 10:20, 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PG) 18:00, 20:50 Creed (12) 10:30, 14:15, 18:00, 20:50 Daddy's Home (12) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 In the Heart of the Sea (12) 10:00, 13:00, 15:50, 18:30, 21:10 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Carol (15) 18:45, 21:10 The Dressmaker (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie (U) 14:15, 16:30 The Danish Girl (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 At Any Price (15) 14:15, 16:30, 18:45, 21:00, 23:20 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PG) 14:30, 18:00 (3D), 20:45, 23:30 The Revenant (15) 14:20, 17:40, 20:55 Creed (12) 14:20, 18:10, 20:55, 23:40 Joy (12) 14:30, 18:05, 20:40 The Hateful Eight (18) 14:15, 17:45, 21:10 Tangerine (15) 18:00 Love (18) 14:30, 20:45 In the Heart of the Sea (12) 14:20, 18:15, 21:00, 23:35 Daddy's Home (12) 14:15, 16:25, 18:35, 20:50 Creed (12) 14:20, 18:10, 20:55, 23:40 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 The Revenant (15) 10:30, 13:45, 17:30, 20:45 The Danish Girl (15) 10:40, 13:20, 15:55, 18:30, 21:05 The Hateful Eight (18) 10:25, 14:00, 17:30, 20:50 Creed (12) 11:00, 14:00, 18:00, 21:00 Daddy's Home (12) 11:00, 13:30, 15:40, 18:00, 21:00 Star Wars: The Force Awakens (PG) 10:30, 14:05, 17:00, 21:00 The Big Short (15) 10:35, 13:25, 17:30, 20:45 BASED on a novel that's loosely based on a striking episode in LG- BTIQ history, The Danish Girl also marks the first time director Tom Hooper (The King's Speech, Les Miserables) gets around to mak- ing a semi-decent drama that's lush enough to keep your attention but sparse enough to just about justify its critical and awards-attention. But after all is said and done, is this multiple-Oscar nominated film about the pioneering between- the-wars transgender painter Einar Wegener simply yet another vessel for Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) to continue on his award-clutching warpath, and to cement Hooper as the reliable go- to option for sumptuous period dramas laced with 'human interest' sprinkling. In Copenhagen in the early 1920s, a Danish artist, Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander), while struggling to establish herself independently of her own successful painter hus- band, Einar Wegener (Redmayne), encourages him to stand in for a truant female model for a portrait. This proves to be something of a turning point for Gerda's art, as previously skittish art dealers start to finally give her time of day. But what starts off as a convenient ca- reer re-jig for Gerda ignites a far more significant spark for Einar. Realising that he's more at home being 'Lili' than Einar, he embarks on a journey that will ultimately result in him being one of the first people on the planet to undergo gender-reassignment surgery. But beyond the medical dangers of such a risky procedure, what Hooper's film concentrates on is how Einar/ Lili's peculiar sexual identity weighs down on the central couple's rela- tionship. However, the fact is that the story we're seeing on our screens – and the same story that secured four Oscar nominations: two for its lead actors, another two for costume and production design – isn't exactly an attempt at presenting unmediated fact. The script by Lucinda Coxon is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by David Ebershoff – a critically acclaimed but also openly fictionalized account of what hap- pened between Lili and Gerda dur- ing those fateful years. And though a lot of what we know about Lili comes from her autobiographical memoir, Man into Woman (which also however underwent an edito- rial process before being posthu- mously published in 1933), it is dif- ficult to imagine that Coxon would not have taken substantial liberties with fact – or at least indulged a healthy amount of speculation – if Ebershoff hadn't done it already. Because this is a film about a rela- tionship most of all, though it may seem equally invested in securing its position as a piece of bona fide heritage cinema for the 'transgen- der movement', as it is described in the explanatory captions at the end. As such, it's a make or break deal that hinges on the strength of its actors, and true to how she's positioned in the film, Vikander ap- pears to be the one burdened with the harder job of it. It may just be that Redmayne, in his second collaboration with Hooper after Les Miserables, is get- ting a bit too comfy in his role as the British it-boy of the hour. Prior to the full transformation into Lili, we get to enjoy some good banter between the couple, and the ever- versatile Vikander – herself some- thing of an androgynous presence – is instantly charming as the relaxed, bohemian partner to the superstar painter. She's a 'liberated woman' who appears to be engaging in what emancipation should be all about – something Hollywood often forgets – which is the simple enjoyment of being whoever you want to be. It's because of this that her jour- ney throughout the rest of the film is interesting to watch: Gerda struggles to reconcile her previous- ly easy-going nature with steeling herself to confront what becomes a very real social and psychological problem. Like Marion Cotillard in last year's Macbeth, Vikander sud- denly realizes, perhaps far too late, that she needs to tap into greater reserves of understanding than she may have in order to deal with what ultimately becomes her predica- ment. Vikander meets this chal- lenge with dignity and poise, and only goes melodramatic once she's earned it. It's a shame that Vikander is, in fact, competing for the Best Sup- porting Actress Oscar and not the Leading one, if only because Red- mayne doesn't actually appear to be giving his A-game to a project that's supposed to be all about con- solidating his talents. Playing both Einar and Lili with stagey brittle- ness that grates when it's support to inspire compassion and under- standing, Redmayne can't possibly carry the film on his own. But The Danish Girl ultimately remains a triumph for Tom Hoop- er. He had a far too easy head-start with the crowd-pleasing The King's Speech, and the interminable and shrill Les Miserables had him – al- most literally – playing to the gal- lery of musical theatre fans. But nobody could ever fault his ability to get the best out of his cos- tume, production design and cin- ematographic team, which is this time comprised of Paco Delgrado, Eve Stewart and Danny Cohen re- spectively. His excesses coralled by a some- what constricted and pruned-to- cliché story of an unconventional relationship, we can enjoy the un- deniably beautiful shots of both Copenhagen and Paris – with the occasional landscape scene that segues into an actual painting – as they happen. By Teodor Reljic Finally, Tom Hooper makes a passable film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA ★ ★ ★ ★ THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO ★ ★ ★ GIRLS ON FILM ★ ★ GIRL, INTERRUPTED ★ STUPID GIRL FILM Eddie Redmayne (centre) guns for the Oscar once again as he takes on the role of the pioneering transgender painter Einar Wegener, helped along by his long-suffering wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander, left) THE DANISH GIRL (15) ★ ★ ★