Corsage - Kuriton keisarinna

A slightly anemic affair that’s halfway to a radical feminist statement and halfway to a more traditional impression of the life of a celebrity, which demolishes the conventional ideas of a beautiful empress. Krieps is once again excellent, but directorially it's pretty weak, it's overworked, and the occasional provocations like a guy with an earring, a forgotten mop or modern music don't quite save it. Kreutzer returns to the popular theme of female restlessness and overcoming inner turmoil, and adds a piece of imperial impotence and dead Habsburg conventions. However, the actual corset of the concept doesn't quite make it through, and the cry of defiance is rather lost in it. (01.07.2022)

All the variations on the genre classification of historical/biographical dramas in the various descriptions of this film are very misguided. Corsage, on the one hand, interprets the real story of Elizabeth of Bavaria in a very peculiar, rather fictional way, and on the other it is also anything but a boring and conventional costume drama. The sensitively told story gives a glimpse under the veil of make-believe into the heart of someone yearning for self-realisation and emancipation, which is perfectly underlined by the Cannes award-winning performance of Vicky Krieps. What is interesting are the directorial tweaks, which through the various sets and the chosen soundtrack deliberately break down the boundaries between the historical period when the film takes place and the relevant present. [KVIFF 2022] (22.07.2022)

First off: Vicky Krieps is a phenomenal actress. Here she gives one of the best acting performances I've ever seen. With a movement of her head, depth of gaze and subtle gestures, she paints a portrait of the Empress that is not only recognizable, but where we can also read her hidden thoughts. She portrayed a woman who is not necessarily likeable to all, but who convinces the viewer to understand her. Sissi has capable support in Florian Teichtmester as Franz Joseph. The two are the perfect couple in their demonstration of how they can never be a couple. At least not a happy, or even harmonious one. Although they obviously like and respect each other, these two can’t stay together. While Franz Joseph willingly sports his whiskers to show them off to the crowd, playing the emperor, Sissi pulls on her corset extremely reluctantly and his stiffness harms her not just physically but mentally too. Franz Josef knows what his duty is and intends to do it, despite perhaps considering it archaic. Sissi knows hers too, but her doing it sucks the life out of her, so she avoids doing it at all costs. ____ This movie leaves out any dramatic historical twists or important historical events; it paints a psychological picture focused mainly on the Empress. It does not claim historical accuracy, although it is obviously based on history. It is an intimate narrative, and somewhere around the middle it seemed rather self-indulgent. Still, if only for the stunning acting of the main protagonist, and all those who support her, the film is worth seeing. IN A NUTSHELL: A movie where, for ridiculous reasons you have to keep wearing a corset, even though it makes you unable breathe. (16.05.2023)