By Jeffrey Sipe y Nina Rodríguez
Marie Kreutzer’s “Corsage” is a beautifully crafted historical drama that imagines the domestic life of Habsburg princess Elisabeth of Austria. The film is a captivating addition to the recent genre of lonely European empress home movies following the likes of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette” and Pablo Larraín’s “Princess Diana” in their portrait of delicate and cherished individuals within the strict, patronizing restraint of luxury palaces.
Set in 1877, Elisabeth is nearing her 40th birthday and becoming First Lady of Austria as consort to her husband, Emperor Franz Josef. The Empress is thrown into turmoil as she anticipates being considered an old woman and begins to act oddly. Renowned for her beauty, she spends an obsessive amount of time measuring her weight, refusing to eat, and analyzing comments on her looks. Faced with a future of strict ceremony and royal duties, she rebels against her public image and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.
Luxembourger actress Vicky Krieps—who rose to the international stage with a stellar performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” (2017)—gives an outstanding performance of Elisabeth, portraying her as a mysterious and sensual yet imperious and severe woman, faced with icy distaste from the court and her unfaithful husband’s family. The film shows the empress as a lonely figure galloping unattended across European estates and taking refuge in bathrooms where she subjects herself to weight loss regimes. Krieps gives a fierce and uningratiating performance capturing the anger and frustration of a woman held up to an unbearable level of scrutiny yet expected to keep her opinions to herself.
Elisabeth’s controversial life had already inspired several previous adaptations to the screen, yet Kreutzer—who also wrote the script—sketches a powerful representation of the lives of women in 19th century Europe. She turns what could have been a traditional biopic into a dreamlike fairy tale and holds the viewer under its spell. Rather than any factual details, “Corsage” provides a fascinating commentary on celebrity. With a protagonist likely far more complex and intriguing than her historical namesake, the film succeeds to transcend the times of its period to become a commentary on any era.
Thoughtfully written and sensitively directed, “Corsage” is an empathetic character study with the extraordinarily talented Krieps as the restless, beating, heart of an artful, unconventional portrait of a controversial royal.
Having received the Award for best Actress at its Cannes Film Festival premiere and been selected to represent Austria at the Oscars, “Corsage” is currently being released in theaters worldwide and has a screening in San Miguel at Compartimento Cinematográfico beginning February 8.