Corsage (2022)

Set in 1877 Austria, Empress Elisabeth (Vicky Krieps) of Austria finds herself estranged from her husband Emperor Franz Joseph (Florian Teichtmeister). Her eccentricities and often bizarre behavior only widens the gap between them. Written and directed by Marie Kreutzer (THE GROUND BENEATH MY FEET), this is a highly fictional account of the final years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It is not to be taken as history. The film has been much praised especially for Krieps' performance and while she's good, I found the film pointless. While gorgeous to look at thanks to Judith Kaufmann's wide screen lensing, ultimately the film is like a beautiful wedding cake that when cut into reveals a dry and tasteless confection. I'm mystified when film makers take a historical personage like Empress Elisabeth and incorporate major fictional events that never happened (in the film, she drowns herself while in real life she was the victim of a political assassination). Why not just make her a fictional Empress and tell your story. With Katharina Lorenz and Manuel Rubey.