Sisi and I Review
Screening as part of the German Film Festival in Australia, Sisi and I is a gorgeously shot, off kilter historical romance that plays with artistry that it never fully achieves.
Countess Irma (Sandra Huller), a middle-aged ‘spinster’ in her late 19th century society, accepts a position as a handmaiden to Empress Sisi (Susanne Wolff) in Greece, away from the etiquette of the court. Sisi’s moods take them around the world, but eventually they return to the Emperor (Markus Schleinzer), who seems intent on having Sisi return to court. As Irma’s understanding of the troubled Empress grows, she realises that she never can return to court again and remain living, and in the end they are left with only one fatal path that will bind them together forever.
Sisi and I is literally a worldwide romance, reimagining the very much adaptable Empress Elisabeth of Austria in much the same way that a spate of recent films, television series and video games has done. Here, she is once again bedecked in high fashion, coupled with a slew of modern songs, and depicted as a feminist icon. The difference here is that we are getting the story from her handmaid’s tale, and as her assassination approaches, the odd romance between the pair that spans Greece, Morocco, Austria, Hungary and England, comes to an inevitable and crushing conclusion.
While for Australian audiences, the cast on display here might be quite foreign, they are nonetheless impeccable. Both Sandra Huller and Susanne Wolff are impeccable in their respective performances. Georg Friedrich makes a favorable impression also as the debaucherous brother of the Emperor.
Visually, the film takes a few more chances, and delivers the occasional piece of very evocative imagery; Sisi walking up the stairs in a black dress before fainting, the pair patting a turtle on the steps of a Greek villa. Tonally, the movie veers into black comedy territory frequently, getting laughs from our audience multiple times.
The issue with this film primarily is (a) its length and (b) its inclination to swing for the fences, but its lack of resolve in doing so. At over 2 hours, the film does feel long, and particularly so because ultimately, the story it is telling is not that in-depth. There’s no real twists and turns here to keep you engaged for a 2 hour plus film, and a little bit of culling would have aided the impact of this piece greatly.
When it comes to its experiementalism, the movie seems to straddle two worlds; a straight up dramatic, period romance (albeit reimagined), and a high art black comedy a la Triangle of Sadness. The problem is that, too often, it veers into the former, and that means that the two sit uncomfortably side by side. Everytime we jump back into the black comedy stuff, there’s a momentary grating feeling. Ultimately, this movie feels too austere and held back to truly become a must-see.
In the end, one thing this movie will have you doing is researching all of the key players immediately upon leaving the theatre, and if the film is a testament to anything, it is a testament to the ability of film to inspire an interest in history. The Empress was an engaging character in real life, and Sisi and I makes her just as engaging on the screen.
Sisi and I is enjoyable, but needs to make a decision about what sort of film it wants to be to have any staying power.
Presented by Palace Cinemas, the German Film Festival in Australia runs throughout May, from the 2nd to the 24th. You can view the full program, buy tickets and more, at the link here.