What I learned from The Danish Girl!
If you haven’t watched The Danish Girl, go watch it. And if you have you might agree with what I am going to say about it.
It is definitely a groundbreaking movie which brings alive the transgender movement in a very delicate way. The way Eddie Redmayne has portrayed the role of Einar/Lili is outstanding. Also, the role of Gerda Wegener performed by Alicia Vikander was truly amazing and she has been graceful as ever. No wonder they both got nominated in the Academy Awards for the movie. I can go on and on about this but I found some really insightful learnings from the movie which I felt are worth sharing.
Firstly, the way movie has showcased the sense of unconditional love is applaudable. Right from the beginning till the end, Einar’s wife, Gerda showed an infinite amount of unconditional love for her husband who was no longer identifying himself as a man. She saw him going away in front of her eyes, in pieces, but was portrayed as such a strong person who could do anything for her love. She set an example of letting go of the person whom she loved the most and that is what unconditional love is all about!
Next, the movie sets a beautiful example of loving your own self. Identifying your true nature and loving that regardless of what people around may think is one of the biggest learning we should follow. The main story of Lili has commendably depicted this idea of identifying your true self and loving it with all your heart. She was hurt in the process and she knew she was hurting Gerda as well, but the way she gave priority to herself and her identity is what we should shout about. In life, we are so much into pleasing others that we forget what our own self desires, what our heart longs for!
The movie ends with the sense of freedom and satisfaction Lili achieves when she is truly herself. It is not just about the body but the inner being which feels free when it is allowed to be itself. The kind of stigmas created in the society for being a transgender has put many Einars to stay and live the way they are. There are many Lilis out there who want to be Einar and wish to feel themselves the way they are. We as a society need to grow up and allow each other to live as ourselves rather than become a personality, imposed by the people around.
