THE DANISH GIRL (2015)

Based on a true story, The Danish Girl is the tale of married couple Einar (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerta (Alicia Vikander) Wegener, both painters enjoying Einar's moderate success and local celebrity in 1926 Copenhagen.  The couple are deeply-in-love young moderns with few boundaries, supporting each other fully; so much so, when Gerta wants the publicity-shy Einar to accompany her to a huge artist's ball, the pair concoct the idea of Einar going in drag, as his own cousin Lili, so they can attend together - which opens a floodgate of emotion when Gerta learns her husband has spent a lifetime suppressing the feeling he's actually a woman inside.  The film, as much about this love story of a marriage as it is about Lili Elba becoming a pioneer of transgender rights, hits all the right notes - but as nuanced/ideal a performance as Redmayne gives, I somehow never felt I really knew Einar/Lili ... in contrast to Vikander, whose Gerta is heartbreaking as the woman who will do anything for love.  Masterfully done, if a bit impersonal in the end. (rated R)  B+