Radical Historical Drama Is As Unconventional As The Aristocratic Women It Portrays

The fascinating if meandering drama

Sisi & I (2023)

(Sisi & Ich) showcases the strange and tragic life of Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria (Susanne Wolff), focusing on her relationship with her lady-in-waiting Countess Irma Stzáray (Sandra Hüller). Irma travels to a remote commune in Greece to be the empress’ companion, escaping her only other options of marriage or a convent. There, Irma is entranced by the carefree environment where Sisi dictates everything. However, the increasing demands of Sisi’s husband, Emperor Franz Joseph (Markus Schleinzer), soon pulls Sisi and Irma out of their haven and tests their bond.

Sandra Hüller Is Excellent As Always, While Susanne Wolff Matches Her In Sisi & I

Finding out that Hüller had another worthwhile movie come out in 2023 — albeit not one that managed to nab an Oscar nomination — was bewildering for me. Hüller lives up to the name she made for herself with Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, playing the stressed countess and lady-in-waiting. Irma never wished to marry, telling Sisi she had always been put off by men; becoming the empress’ companion was the nicest alternative. Irma initially appears to be awkward and timid, beaten down by her mother’s (Sibylle Canonica) rigid standards.

Hüller is, of course, fully capable of showing Irma’s full range of emotions: Desperation, confusion, enthrallment, horror, and jealousy. Meanwhile, Wolff makes Irma’s reactions to Sisi as a delightfully bizarre and otherworldly figure believable. Sisi is completely confident and wild in Greece and the other countries she visits with Irma. Wolff also portrays her well when she becomes more depressed upon being summoned back to Hungary by her husband. Hüller and Wolff have some completely natural interactions, illustrating how at ease Sisi and Irma are together — and later, how they strain one another.

Sisi & I’s Narrative & Pacing Are Beautiful If Labyrinthine

Sisi & I’s trajectory and character arcs are easy enough to understand despite the pacing not having the most obvious story markers (i.e. rising action, climax, resolution). It has the feeling of hopping from place to place — Sisi, Irma, and their cohort leave Greece for a trip to Algiers, are summoned back by Sisi’s husband, flee to England, and so on. Sisi goes where the wind takes her, and we must follow along. Luckily, the settings and the character dynamics are plenty enticing along the way.

Just as subject to change are the shifting relationships among the whole cast. I liked that the movie’s queer elements comprised subtle, passing moments. The characters may not think of themselves as having queer identities as they are understood today, but Sisi’s philosophy of freedom means that she and the people around her casually explore sexuality as they please. Although they have some suggestive interactions, Sisi and Irma’s relationship is platonic. Sisi seems to be involved with her other lady-in-waiting, Fritzi (Sophie Hutter), and later has a dalliance with the Englishman Smythe (Tom Rhys Harries).

Sisi & I Is An Interesting Take On Historical Fiction & The Main Characters’ Relationship

Sisi & I takes an almost Tarantino-like approach to history, offering a new analysis on Sisi’s assassination and the events leading up to it. It is a very focused narrative, but one with some broader implications for how aristocratic women carved out their own lives. Sisi and Irma briefly strike up a friendship with another noblewoman who hosts them in Geneva. Sisi sets aside land for Fritzi so she will never need to marry. Sisi & I expresses themes of modernity ahead of its time with a contemporary soundtrack, which works better in some scenes than others.

At the core of the story is the relationships between these different women, how they each view societal demands, and how they harm each other in service of their beliefs. Irma is baffled by Sisi’s rules at first — including some unhealthy dietary restrictions based on Sisi’s real eating habits — and this feeling never completely goes away. There are times when Sisi’s antics are too much for Irma, who is the more conservative of the two. She is jealous of Sisi’s relationship with Smythe and her brother-in-law Viktor (Georg Friedrich), but also appalled by Sisi’s brazen actions around them.

Yet even though their relationship is slowly being poisoned, Irma desperately wants to keep Sisi, terrified of a prophecy that she’ll be killed by a needle. The ways that tension manifests between women are shockingly brutal to illustrate their intensity — such as when Irma’s mother punches her in the first scene. It’s one of the reasons Irma clings to her relationship with Sisi, as she has received little support from other women in her life. Sisi & I wanders through its beautiful settings and complicated relationships with alternating ease and nervousness, showcasing surprising takes on these historical figures’ lives.

Sisi & I is now playing in theaters. The film is not rated.

Countess Irma, hired as Empress Sisi’s lady-in-waiting, accompanies her to a women-only commune in Greece. As they bond, Irma becomes fascinated by Sisi’s eccentric lifestyle. Their relationship deepens, leading to tensions and revelations that challenge their roles within the rigid confines of aristocratic society.

Pros

• Sandra Hüller and Susanne Wolff are strong leads
• The character dynamics are multi-faceted with no single descriptor
• Offers an interesting perspective on the freedoms and limitations of aristocratic women

Cons

• The narrative is a little bit meandering and slow at points