‘Sisi & I’ Trailer: Sandra Hüller Is a Lady-in-Waiting to Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary

With acclaimed roles in Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, Sandra Hüller might have had the biggest year of any actress in 2023. The success ensured that many eyes would be on the versatile actress’ next projects, the first of which is set to hit theaters this July.

Frauke Finsterwalder’s “Sisi & I” sees Huller playing a lady-in-waiting to Empress Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary (Susanne Wolff), better known as Sisi, the monarch who famously spent an unprecedented 44 years on the throne. The film, which Finsterwalder co-wrote with Christian Kracht, also stars Georg Friedrich, Stefan Kurt, Sophie Hutter, Anthony Calf, and Angela Winkler.

Per the film’s official synopsis, Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary — known as Sisi (Wolff) —is living in an aristocratic women-only commune in Greece. Countess Irma (Hüller) is sent there to be Sisi’s companion, and she is captivated by the eccentric and extravagant recluse. But the outside world is reaching out to break Sisi. And no matter how much Irma and Sisi resist, in the end they are left with only one fatal path that will bind the two women together forever. 

Sisi has been a popular topic for filmmakers in recent years. The empress was also the subject of Marie Kreutzer’s 2023 film “Corsage,” in which she was played by Vicky Krieps to great acclaim.

A Film Movement release, “Sisi & I” opens at Quad Cinema in New York City on Friday, July 12 and at Laemmle Monica Film Center in Los Angeles on July 19, with additional markets to follow. Watch the trailer, an IndieWire exclusive, below.