Top Cast
The story of Danish painter Einar Wegener, one of the first recipients of gender reassignment surgery.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for The Danish Girl is mixed-to-positive, with most reviewers acknowledging the film's worth as a viewing experience while noting significant reservations. The performances, particularly Eddie Redmayne's, drew the most consistent praise across reviews, with several critics calling them alone sufficient reason to watch the film. The most common criticism is that the film is overly safe and conventional in its approach — too polished and restrained to fully engage with the emotional and identity complexities of its subject, leaving audiences impressed but not deeply moved. A minority of critics found it a genuinely powerful cinematic achievement, while at least one found it entirely without merit.
14 reviews · 8 positive · 1 mixed
AI-generated summary of 14 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (14)
"Director Tom Hooper gets everything right. The problem is that his Einar/Lili is etched in the same perfect strokes. You are impressed, you are not moved."Read full review ↗
"a splendid example of cinematic art that could well stand the test of time and become revered as a modern day classic. You just can't afford to miss this one!"Read full review ↗
"Some films successfully defy categorization. The King's Speech (2010) director Tim Hopper's The Danish Girl is such one. It is more than the Danish artist Einar Wegener's biopic, or his gradual transformation to the girl inside her - Lili Elbe. It is not a love story, between the couple - Einar and Gerda Wegener, although a striking love story is embedded in the narrative. It is more than a simple story on sexuality too."Read full review ↗
"You wish the film was less conventional in its approach, but it delivers so much that you can barely complain. In keeping with the film's Casablanca line, the last word here has to be - "I've only really liked a handful of characters in my life, and this movie has two of them.""Read full review ↗
"The Danish Girl is a film that needs to be watched. If not for anything else, to understand the complexity of the human mind and the struggles that dot a trangender's survival."Read full review ↗
"...what's sad is that the film won't challenge the audience one bit. And just might send those insensitive to gender issues straight to sleep."Read full review ↗
"Watch this one solely for Eddie. The story is a warm, beautiful one, but not as engaging as Eddie's performance."Read full review ↗
"Perhaps some day, a filmmaker with a real passion for the subject can come along and tell this tale the way it's meant to be told. Till then, don't watch The Danish Girl. Watch your phone run out of battery instead."Read full review ↗
"The most intriguing aspect of The Danish Girl is that it is much more about that love story than it is about Lili's road to self-discovery."Read full review ↗
"Set nearly a hundred years ago, The Danish Girl is a paean to the timelessness of an emotion that does not alter when it alteration finds."Read full review ↗
"If you're looking for a completely accurate retelling of Lili Elbe's story, you might find yourself a little disappointed. The Danish Girl takes liberties with the true story, and some of the finer aspects are lost in the translation to the screen. Still, the film is a stellar addition to the filmographies of everyone involved, and is definitely worth watching."Read full review ↗
"It starts with a stocking and ends with scarf floating into space, portraying freedom. Lily has found her freedom. But she has left us a captive of her tragic tale for all times to come."Read full review ↗
"Hooper's movie is far too ironed-out to adequately explore the creases and rips of the relationship. The Danish Girl proves that mainstream filmmakers are more receptive than before to tackling tricky subjects such as trans identity and the fluid boundaries between genders, but the movie also sets out the limits of this depiction."Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Eddie Redmayne · Einar Wegener / Lili Elbe
- Alicia Vikander · Gerda Wegener
- Matthias Schoenaerts · Hans Axgil
- Ben Whishaw · Henrik
- Sebastian Koch · Warnekros
- Amber Heard · Oola
- Emerald Fennell · Elsa
- Adrian Schiller · Rasmussen
- Henry Pettigrew · Niels
- Tom Hooper
- Tim Bevan
- Eric Fellner
- Anne Harrison
- Gail Mutrux
- Lucinda Coxon
- Alexandre Desplat
- Danny Cohen
- Melanie Ann Oliver
Director
Screenplay
Music
Cinematography
Editing
Details
- Release Date
- 15 January 2016
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Language
- English
User Ratings & Reviews
6 ratings from the community
Community Reviews (1)
Finally comes an Oscar bait from director Tom Hooper that I actually liked!
















