Sisi & ich: drama by Frauke Finsterwalder about the last years of Empress Sisi, far from the Austrian nobility, told from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting Irma.
Plot and background
Countess Irma (Sandra Hüller) starts her new job as lady-in-waiting to Empress Sisi (Susanne Wolff). Surrounded by women, she stays in a kind of aristocratic commune in Greece. The freedom in which the empress lives here differs greatly from the strict etiquette of the Austrian court. Neither her children nor her husband, the Emperor Franz Joseph, play a role in this parallel universe; the main thing is only that the empress is entertained and that she has fun and calls the shots.
Irma travels around with Sisi at her whim and gets closer to her than anyone else. The court lady quickly falls in love with the charismatic, unruly Sisi and her modern views. Everything could be so beautiful if Sisi were not empress. As the most famous and sought-after woman of her century, she is threatened by the demands that the whole world seems to make on her. Reality catches up with Irma and Sisi and in the end presents them with a fatal choice.
“Sisi & Me” – background, cast, theatrical release
Director Frauke Finsterwalder begins “Sisi & Ich”, like her worldwide award-winning film “Finsterworld”, as a satire and ends on a deeply melancholic note. The German filmmaker co-wrote the screenplay for the film with writer Christian Kracht (“Eurotrash”), creating a fictional romantic drama, but based on the actual, world-famous Empress Sisi. The leading roles were played by Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann”) as court lady Irma and Susanne Wolff (“Styx”) as Empress Sisi.
Georg Friedrich (“Große Freiheit”), Stefan Kurt (“Ich war noch niemals in New York”), Tom Rhys Harries (“White Lines”), Angela Winkler (“Die Blechtrommel”) and Johanna Wokalek (“Die Päpstin”) can be seen in other roles.
Filming took place in Austria, Switzerland, Germany as well as in the sun of Malta. “Sisi & Ich” will celebrate its world premiere at the 73rd Berlinale in the Panorama section and will be released in German cinemas on March 30, 2023.
