Review: Sisi & I

Sisi & I (original title Sisi & Ich) is a German-language historical black comedy starring Susanne Wolff as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Sandra Hüller as Countess Irma Sztáray.

Although Irma really did serve as Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting, the film is largely fiction. It begins as the 42-year-old spinster Irma is presented in a bright pink gown to be a lady-in-waiting to the Empress. She is shipped off to Corfu, where Elisabeth is living with a number of women. She is immediately subjected to Elisabeth’s whims and is forced to undergo a physical test to see if she can endure the Empress’s endless walks and gymnastic exercises. Of course, she fails miserably.

Although Irma is fascinated by the Empress and her newfound life away from her mother, Elisabeth’s attitude swings from extreme to extreme. The two begin to travel and seem to get closer, with Irma copying Elisabeth’s eating disorder. After Irma is subjected to hearing Elisabeth being raped by her husband, she ends up asking Irma to murder her while blaming it on an Italian anarchist.

I went in not quite knowing what to expect, but I was glad to see that she had not been turned into some kind of feminist icon like some recent productions have been doing. The vibe in the film was a bit out of my comfort zone, with loud modern music screeching through the scenes at times. I was glad to see the inclusion of Luziwuzi, Archduke Karl Ludwig, the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, who had been exiled from Vienna after being caught in a gay scandal. He gets along well with Elisabeth, and he is allowed in the “women-only” zone.

Some situations may appear rather ridiculous, such as one of the other women posing as Elisabeth during public outings, but this actually happened. Elisabeth’s eventual assassination by an Italian anarchist is also real, but she asks Irma to stab her in the film. Something was probably lost in translation here, as I had no idea what was happening and after speaking to a fellow movie-goer, she hadn’t seen it coming either. Another thing that bothered me is that, once again, this movie has trouble with the style of address. Her entire life was drenched in the protocol, but she’s still “Highness” throughout the movie.

Overall, it’s quite an interesting film that portrays the various sides of the Empress and doesn’t shy away from the bad. I was surprised, though, that no mention is made of her children, especially Crown Prince Rudolf, by whose death she was very much affected.

The film currently has no release date for the US or the UK.