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