The movie is based on a book called "The Captain and Ann Barbara" by Ida Jessen, which is loosely based on the true story of Captain Ludvig Kahlen. The writers took many liberties with the story.
Official submission of Denmark for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.
At a Q&A promoting the film, director Nikolaj Arcel responded to accusations that the cast lacked diversity: "Well, first of all, the film takes place in Denmark in the 1750s. We do have a big plotline about a girl of colour who is being subjected to racism, which was very rare, any people of colour in Denmark... almost nobody. She was probably at the time the only one in the entire country of Denmark."
The film is set from 1755 to 1763 during the reign of Frederik 5, who is unseen apart from a shot of the back of his head. Nikolaj Arcel's previous film starring Mads Mikkelsen, Royal Affair (2012), took place from the late 1760s and featured that king's successor, Christian 7, played by Mikkel Boe Følsgaard.
The young girl in the film is apparently Romani, or, in decidedly impolitically correct language, Gypsy. She is part of a traveler community which for some weird reasons speaks Swedish in the original version of the film.