Matinee

Series/Themes: International Oscar Contenders, Women in Film Focus

Genre: Drama, International

Accessibility: Subtitles

Film Year: 2022

Locations: Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France

Film Length: 113 min.

Languages: German, French, English, Hungarian

Subtitles: Yes.

Director: Marie Kreutzer

Featuring: Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Katharina Lorenz, Colin Morgan

Official Oscar^© Selection—Austria
2022 Cannes Film Festival, Winner: Un Certain Regard, Best Performance, Vicky Krieps

Empress Elizabeth of Austria is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, ‘Sissi’ celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While Elizabeth’s role has been reduced against her wishes to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes her more and more restless in Vienna. She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth. With a future of strictly ceremonial duties laid out in front of her, Elizabeth rebels against the hyperbolized image of herself and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.

“A witty subversion of biopic and costume-drama clichés” – Variety, Jessica Kiang