Review of Corsage (2022) by Jluis_001 — 03 May 2023

As the saying goes, even if the cage is made of gold, it is still a cage and that is the reality of the story Corsage is telling.

The story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria is one in which the social structure of power and royalty has isolated her.

She no longer has duties to perform but must still abide by the rules. From maintaining her physical stability to not doing anything that might scandalize people, she is forced to shut herself away in a monotonous and insipid life.

The functionality of the film in that regard falls entirely on the performance of its lead actress Vicky Krieps because its structure and tone has very few variables.

Everything rests on the leading figure, her emotions and her personality. The things that push her more and more as she is contained by what is thrust upon her. And as I said by not having much variety in its composition and context it may seem like the film doesn't offer much outside of its character study, but to me that is precisely the foundation upon which the film is built and therefore that is how it should unfold and ultimately work.

Had it been otherwise this film would have become something very different, disrupting its main design and in my opinion undermining it, but that's just my opinion. I still think it's a good film.