The Danish Girl is a reminder of how making a film is a long, gruelling process that requires constant effort to turn in something good, and not in a good way. This film is full of basic ideas, moments and scenes that by themselves sound good and are competently executed - no doubt causing uproarious excitement in the writer's room - but that don't work in any way in the greater whole. The result leaves a films that's incredibly scatter shot, with strange pacing issues and an awful lot of plot and character development that inexplicably occurs off-screen. There's plenty for awards video highlights to pick up on and play ad nauseum, but they don't have any more impact as part of the movie as they do in a brief clip. The final shot you just know Hooper thought was his masterstroke, a fluid visual metaphor. But in reality it's nothing more than an ill-advised spate of pretentiousness. Kinda like the film itself. The Danish Girl is in US cinemas from 25th January and UK cinemas from 1st January.
