Corsage (2022)

A fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria that begins on Christmas Eve 1877, Marie Kreutzer’s superb period piece stars Vicky Krieps as the Empress in a quite brilliant performance that saw her take the Best Performance in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2022. As we are frequently reminded, her job is to support the Emperor in every respect, and now that she’s turned forty, she is considered an old woman. As she’s told by a doctor after an apparent suicide attempt, the average life expectancy of a woman of the time is forty-one. Elisabeth is far from willing to play royal ball however, her increasingly erratic behaviour becomes more and more of a problem for the Emperor as Elisabeth questions the point of her role, becoming increasingly frustrated by her limitations as a royal, and indeed as a woman. The films’ tone is expertly handled; it’s certainly not a happy film considering Elisabeth’s increasing depression but it’s frequently very funny, and it’s Elisabeth who makes it so. All of this makes it even more refreshing at the points where Elisabeth is clearly happy; the problem for her is that the opportunity for these moments is minimal, more so after she is advised by her own son to spend less time with her riding instructor because “people will talk.” She enjoys the time with her instructor who may or may not be in love with her, but her inner issues are lain bare after he realises she mainly delights in the way he looks at her and how that makes her feel; which is an achingly sad moment for both of them. Kreutzer’s fine job in maintaining this tricky balance between humour and loneliness makes Corsage a very fine piece of work, with an exquisite central performance from Krieps. 8.2/10