The Danish Girl
In this scene, there’s Einar (played by Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda, his wife, (played by Alicia Vikander). This is the scene where Einar is able to reconnect with his true gender identity after having suppressed it for a long time. It’s also when the viewers meet LIli for the first time. Einar apologizes for having upset Gerda earlier. The camera cuts from each character after they’ve said their lines, with Gerda being at a higher angle and close up while Einar is at a lower angle with a medium shot. It then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of Gerda and Einar. She asks Einar for a favor: to help her finish the painting of Ulla, who is their friend and has canceled on her. This shot feels intimate since it pulls the viewers in closer. It’s also used to show the love/affection between Einar and Gerda. The primary color in the background is gray, which is a neutral color vs in other scenes there’s pinks and blues to represent gender roles. The use of neutral colors here represents a subconscious decision Einar will make: to embrace and reconnect with his gender identity. The camera pulls up and slows down when Einar opens the box. It shows a tender moment where he’s admiring the stockings, holding them very delicately. The sudden use of the dog barking and startling Einar breaks another intimate moment that he’s having. It pulls him back into the real world. Gerda corrects Einar as he pulls on the stocking since he was b[utting it on the wrong way. There is no added sound during this scene which makes viewers pay attention. The water drops on the floor are used to represent the change that Einar is about to experience. There’s an establishing shot of Einar sitting next to the painting getting ready to pose. Einar’s hesitation to wear the dress reveals a lot and foreshadows his internal conflicts Einar starts hugging the dress, in comfort.
