Comparison · 3 shared techniques

Lust, Caution vs The Danish Girl

Lust, Caution (2007) and The Danish Girl (2015) share 3 techniques. Here is how each film uses them.

Lust, Caution (2007) poster

Lust, Caution

Ang Lee · 2007

The Danish Girl (2015) poster

The Danish Girl

Tom Hooper · 2015

Shared

Same technique, two films

Identity Construction and Loss

Showing a character's sense of self being built, borrowed or stripped away by pressure, roles or the group. Who they are shifts with what they wear, say or join.

Lust, Caution

Wong begins as a shy student and finds confidence on stage, where her acting moves the audience. The group later sends her undercover as the elegant Mrs. Mak. The part she plays draws her closer to the man she has to fool.

The Danish Girl

Einar's sense of self changes with what he wears and how he moves. Makeup, a wig and clothes let Lili appear, and as she grows stronger Einar fades. The film lets you see a person being built in front of you.

Deliberate Close-Up Performance

Holding a close-up on an actor's face long enough to catch tiny changes in expression. You read what the character is thinking from details a wider shot would miss.

Lust, Caution

Wong sees her comrades waiting outside the jewelry store and puts on the ring. Lee stays on her face and on Yee's as he reads that something is wrong. You can follow the whole decision from their faces without a line of explanation.

The Danish Girl

Much of Lili's inner life shows in her face. Small changes in an expression tell you what she is afraid to say. The film trusts a look to carry as much as dialogue.

Symbolic Object

Returning to the same physical object again and again until it means more than what it is. It moves the plot and also stands for the film's main ideas.

Lust, Caution

The pink diamond ring is both a gift and the bait for an ambush. In Chinese, the title can also be read as "colored ring", so the object is built into the film's name. When the plan fails, the ring ends up back in Yee's hands.

The Danish Girl

A scarf that Lili gave to Gerda becomes a small marker of their bond. It reappears at the very end, when the wind takes it. Losing it feels like losing Lili.

Different

Where they split