Film Review: CORSAGE (2022): Vicky Krieps Brings Intense Complexity to Her Role in Marie Kreutzer’s Intelligent Drama

Corsage Review

Corsage (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Vicky Krieps, Colin Morgan, Ivana Urban, Alma Hasun, Tamas Lengyel, Finnegan Oldfield, Jeanne Werner, Katharina Lorenz, Aaron Friesz, Raphael von Bargen, Manuel Rubey, Florian Teichtmeister, Regina Fritsch, Alexander Pschill, Raphael Nicholas, Oliver Rosskopf and Norman Hacker.

Vicky Krieps portrays Empress Elisabeth of Austria in filmmaker Marie Kreutzer’s fascinating and deep character study, Corsage. In this picture, which traces Elisabeth’s life at age 40 and beyond, there is an unusually unhealthy fascination with outer appearances which help project the proper expectations that a society may have. This movie is about a woman who could be deemed a narcissist having something of a mid-life crisis but there’s also an underlying desire for personal fulfillment that seems to have a great sense of urgency to the film’s main character.

Kreutzer’s new film is full of heavy handed symbolism and is, artistically speaking, a good film but it would fall apart if Krieps’ performance didn’t navigate the ultimate path it decides to take. Krieps is astonishing in her best film work to date in a role that will keep audiences intrigued and questioning what matters most to Elisabeth in her life.

Florian Teichtmeister is the emperor in the film–Franz Joseph and Teichtmeister certainly has a true grasp on his pivotal role here as his character’s actions help make Elisabeth become the person she turns into during the course of the movie. Elisabeth sort of goes against her husband’s wishes at times in the picture while, at others, she seems somewhat fond of him. Appearances are everything in this world and Elisabeth’s weight is pivotal to maintaining her image so as she is dressed, it is imperative that she has attention paid to all the minute details that many people who were not of her status would take for granted.

Katharina Lorenz is fine in the role of Marie who becomes somewhat intrigued by Elisabeth who may be an enigma to Marie but Kreutzer wants us, as audience members, to try to understand the character of Elisabeth. While based on a real-life person, Krieps plays her role creatively and she takes risks in this film some other actresses may have been afraid to take on.

Set in 1877, initially, this film doesn’t let its time period hold it back from being raw with many modern day touches. There is music that is incorporated into the film that comes from more contemporary times and it is appropriately integrated into the scenes it is used in. This is not a straight biographical film and takes lenience and creative liberties in the events and characters it portrays. Think of some of the creativity of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, and imagine that imagination used towards a slightly better movie.

Krieps’ part here is not always a glamorous role. It’s, at times, a rather heartbreaking one. The fact that the real Elisabeth lived quite a bit after being 40 makes the part all the most interesting. Krieps makes this movie work because of the uncertainty as to what direction Elisabeth (also known as Sisi) will take in her life. She makes appearances at functions, fences and rides horses but she’s walking on the edge of a sharp knife. We never know what kind of decision she’ll make next and watching her becomes an exercise in itself which could keep viewers captivated. Elisabeth sometimes seems to be hanging on by a thin thread but she has more of herself together at times than she’d probably like to believe even when cutting off a lot of her hair which throws off the balance of the image she presents to society.

While Corsage is expertly acted by Krieps, it is also a little bit slight. It has plenty of complex themes but the scenes work better individually than as a whole. It almost feels that some of the edginess of the main character is manufactured for dramatic purposes especially considering what the history books say in regards to her existence. Still, though, Krieps rises above the flaws of the movie as Elisabeth rebels against the norms of society because a.) she can get away with it once in a while and b.) she doesn’t care as much about being perfect anymore. It’s almost like her age has given her the justification to take life a bit less intensely while holding on to the ideals of somewhat maintaining the image she needs to project.

We don’t truly understand all the choices Elisabeth makes in this movie because we’d have to be inside the character’s mind to be able to grasp what is truly intended by the decisions she makes. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time who had to confine to the world she was presented with. Having kids certainly runs its course and when we first meet Elisabeth, we’re not certain what she’s expecting at her current age. She sometimes feels like a woman with too much free time on her hands.

The rest of the cast is headed by a solid performance from Jeanne Werner as Elisabeth’s sister. Krieps and Werner are like a well-oiled machine making some magical moments in a movie which sometimes has a split-personality but with good reason. Elisabeth and Franz Joseph’s interactions feel mechanical at times and are, at others, very well-defined. But, Krieps keeps this movie moving forward towards a conclusion that ultimately rises Corsage to the level it needed to be at to keep it fresh. Krieps makes her role come to life in a movie that could have been more but is compelling enough as it is to warrant a definite recommendation.

Rating: 7.5/10

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