Eddie Redmayne could be making room on the mantelpiece for more silverware. The first glimpse of the Oscar winning actor in his new film, The Danish Girl, suggests that he could well be on his way to awards glory again in an exquisite looking biopic that tells the story of Lili Elbe, one of the first recipients of sexual reassignment surgery. The film, directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables), is set in the early 20th Century and sees Redmayne play Einar Wegener, whose marriage to fellow artist and childhood friend Gerda (Alicia Vikander) becomes a journey of discovery for both.
In the trailer, Einar’s wife is seen helping her husband transform into Lili, firstly posing as a woman for his wife’s painting. It proves the first step to a later realization, when Einar exclaims: “The fact is I believe that I am a woman.” The film will get its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 5 before its theatrical release on November 27.