Empress Elisabeth of Austria [Vicky Krieps] is turning 40. In the Vienna of 1877, that’s basically considered over the hill. Famed for her beauty and figure, she instructs her staff to lace her bodice – or ‘corsage’ – ever tighter as gossips whisper that she’s put on weight. As Empress she struggles to break free from the restrictive confines of courtly life and the complicated relationship she has with her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph [Florian Teichtmeister]. Her only escape is to enjoy the flirtations of men she meets in her travels to England and Bavaria.
“A witty subversion of biopic and costume-drama clichés … CORSAGE loosens the stays on Empress Elisabeth’s corsetry just a little.” – Jessica Kiang – VARIETY