MIFF 2022 #12

Vicky Krieps shines in this loose biopic on Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Facing 40, Elisabeth must wrestle with her public image and performative duties and how they impact her inner wellbeing.

Was really looking forward to this as a Vicky Krieps fan, and she certainly delivers. The film itself though was surprisingly average and in all honesty a bit of a snooze fest.

It’s a film that’s not really sure what it wants to be. It grabs elements from things like The Favourite, Spencer and Marie Antoinette but it’s pulled in too many directions. Too serious to work as a tongue-in-cheek subversion of period tropes, but they’re clearly trying to do both and they never really bridge the gap. 

Love the way music is used in the film and the craft elements are as good as you’d expect from a period piece. Outside of that and Krieps’ performance though I found absolutely nothing to latch onto here. Starts slow and never really gets going. Biggest disappointment of the fest so far.