Director: Frauke Finsterwalder
Cast: Susanne Wolff, Sandra Huller
Screenplay: Frauke Finsterwalder, Christian Kracht
132 mins. Not Rated.

Sisi & I is a fictional account of time spent with Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Susanne Wolff, The Three Musketeers), or Sisi, from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting, Irma (Sandra Huller, Anatomy of a Fall). While the two women live freely in Greece at a predominantly female estate, but Sisi’s intense ruling over their friendship leads to strained interactions and frustrations over Irma’s place in her world.

There have been numerous films centered on Sisi as a historical figure, dating back decades and also as recently as 2022’s Corsage, and this particular portrayal provides a unique viewpoint through the lens of Irma, as portrayed by the excellent Huller, and surrounded by some impressive landscapes, beautiful cinematography, and an overall lovely production design, complete with lush sets and costumes. Huller is the reason to see the film, as her frustrated complications over her feelings for Sisi create the best moments of the film.

Irma and Sisi are both complex characters, and their scenes provide the conflict of the film, but Sisi’s character is written in such a way that seems to suggest Finsterwalder is trying to help audiences understand her better, and I don’t think the film is successful in that attempt. We see that she is in pain, that she is struggling with her place in life, but her treatment of the people around her make her far less interesting than believed. I consistently found myself drawn to Irma when the narrative is obviously aiming for Sisi in the latter half, but the less time with Irma as the focus shifts is to the film’s detriment. Even the beautiful scenery around these two is never able to uplift what should be a more dynamic drama.

Sisi & I has its moments, and the occasional unpredictability of the screenplay lends itself to some wonderful scenes, but the narrative loses itself in the back half by focusing on the less interesting of the two characters, and the finale, while impactful, is still missing something by not developing the titular Empress enough, leaving one half of the duo far less interesting than the other. The production design is lovely and the cinematography is gorgeous, but it’s just not enough for this reviewer to recommend.

2.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe