Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl” hopes for the rare

The gorgeous, heartbreaking and unforgettable film The Danish Girl is about the first known case of transgender surgery recorded in medical history-the story of Einar Wegener, the married painter in Denmark who bravely endured a pioneering gender reassignment operation in the 1930s and later became known as Lili Elbe.

Regardless of how you feel about the subject matter, The Danish Girl is an overwhelming act of heroism for Eddie Redmayne.

The Oscar-winning actor hit the scene at the premiere of Focus Features’ “The Danish Girl”, held at the Regency Village Theatre, on November 2, in Westwood, Calif. In one scene, Lili is beat up by two anonymous men in a park, but the beating is never referred to again in the film.

Eddie noted, “I had a moment of, ‘Oh f**k, I might retire tomorrow”. In a rather interesting twist, her color palette is rather attuned to the varied color of Nyhavn with its blue, yellow, red and green houses dominating certain sections of the film. Campaigns are expected to be heavily mounted in Best Picture, Best Director (for Hooper), Best Actor (for Redmayne) Best Supporting Actress (for Vikander, provided she doesn’t go Lead), Best Adapted Screenplay (for Coxon), Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Hairstyling & Makeup, and Best Original Score.

The British actor was the darling of the awards season earlier this year thanks to his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the film, picking up the best actor Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG awards.

It was the first role Redmayne was offered without an audition.

“He had that ability to make it seem so real it was astonishing”. Come Nov. 27, however, as The Danish Girl swiftly moves into theaters across the country in time for the holidays, a remarkable tale largely unspoken until now will illuminate discussions surrounding the trans experience, true courage and the incalculable value of self-realization. “I’ve played some really extraordinary, strong, female-layered roles”. At this point, there’s nothing terribly bold or new about a straight, cis actor playing a trans woman.

At Monday’s screening, Hooper defended casting Redmayne, praising his performance and noting the complicated casting snafus that preceded his signing onto the film. “He wanted to understand Lili in this way, and I believe he did”. She drives the narrative throughout, coming to a reassessment of her own position on matters and proving to be the character that ultimately undergoes the greatest psychological transformation.

The 33-year-old Westminster native stars in the 2015 Tom Hooper directed film, The Danish Girl. “But then I thought, ‘No, I want this'”. The Danish Girl remains mostly accurate through its initial 15-20 minutes, establishing both characters as up-and-coming talents in the European art world and showing us their uniquely playful relationship. We start to see it with Gerda (played magnificently by Alicia Vikander), who is constantly pushing at the limits of womanhood and wifedom-whether by wearing ankle-baring skirts or struggling to sell her portraits or barely batting an eye when she discovers that her husband is wearing her underpinnings. Einar and Gerda’s first interaction is highlighted by an awkward framing of a low angle on her and a more traditional high angle on him. Lili does love Gerda, and Gerda-who knows there is something different about her husband-does love who Lili is as Einar and comes to love Lili herself. “It felt like she had been born, and society and herself had encased herself in this masculine exoskeleton”.

The director calls the film is an exploration of unconditional love. The frequent (or far too prevalent, if you’re not on its wavelength) mirror and reflection shots meet their apotheosis in a peep show sequence where Lili, as Einar, mimics the motions of the performing girl, and they watch each other – there’s a prevalent sense of narcissism and the blurred lines between oneself and the object of one’s attraction (Gerda says at one point that “kissing [Einar] was like kissing myself”) that is intriguing.