[5] The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery, Alicia Vikander as Wegener,[6] and Sebastian Koch as Kurt Warnekros, with Ben Whishaw, Amber Heard, and Matthias Schoenaerts in supporting roles.

[10] The film was released on 1 January 2016 in the United Kingdom, with Universal Pictures handling international distribution.

[11] In spite of criticism for inaccurate portrayal of historical events, Redmayne and Vikander's performances received widespread acclaim and nominations for multiple acting awards.

In the mid-1920s Copenhagen, portrait artist Gerda Wegener asks her spouse, Einar Wegener, a popular landscape artist and closeted trans woman, to stand in for a female model, who is late arriving at their flat to pose for a painting Gerda is working on.

The experience of posing for Gerda's painting inspires Einar to come out as transgender and rename herself Lili Ilse Elvenes, later adopting the surname Elbe.

This sets off a progression, first tentative and then irreversible, of leaving behind the masculine gender expression Lili has struggled to maintain all her life.

Eventually, at Ulla Poulsen's recommendation, Lili and Gerda meet Dr. Kurt Warnekros.

He proposes an innovative and controversial solution for Lili: male-to-female sex reassignment surgery.

This would entail a two-part procedure that involves first removing Lili's external genitalia and then, after a period of recovery, fashioning a vagina.

The scarf that Lili had originally given Gerda, which had subsequently been given back and forth several times, is carried away in the wind, dancing.

[15] In December 2009, Swedish newspapers reported that Alfredson was no longer attached to direct The Danish Girl and would begin work on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy next.

[19][20][21] Charlize Theron was originally slated to play the role of Gerda Wegener but, after leaving the project, was replaced by Gwyneth Paltrow.

In September 2010, Marion Cotillard was rumored to be the lead candidate for the role of Gerda Wegener.

[25] In February 2011, Screen Daily reported that the film would begin shooting in July of the same year and that Rachel Weisz would play Wegener.

[33][34] Sets for the Danish and Paris flats were built in the Elstree Studios near London and additional shooting took place in Copenhagen and Brussels.

The website's critical consensus reads, "The Danish Girl serves as another showcase for Eddie Redmayne's talent—and poignantly explores thought-provoking themes with a beautifully filmed biopic drama.

"[50] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[53] Redmayne's performance was described as "another sterling example of just how deeply he can immerse himself into a role" by Jim Schembri of 3AW, and as "revealing, heartbreaking and believable" by Linda Cook of Quad-City Times.

[54] Kyle Buchanan, writing for Vulture, complained that it was part of a trend of "queer and trans films that are actually about straight people",[55] while Paul Byrnes for The Sydney Morning Herald said it was "a lost opportunity" in which "the frocks are more convincing than the emotions.

"[56] Casey Plett, a transgender writer, criticised the script in a conversation in The Walrus as "atrocious and boring", going on to say "It's like someone got inspired by a Shakespeare tragedy, then combined the verbosity of R. L. Stine with the subtlety of Brendan Fraser.

Redmayne acknowledged this criticism in an interview with Indiewire around the time of the film's 2015 release, calling it an "incredibly important discussion".

The film was banned by Qatar on grounds of "moral depravity",[84] and also in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Malaysia.