Title: Sisi &I
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Frauke Finsterwalder
Starring: Susanne Wolff, Sandra Hüller, Annette Badland
Runtime: 2 hours, 21 Minutes

What it is: A countess (Sandra Hüller) becomes the new lady-in-waiting to an eccentric empress (Susanne Wolff). The two embark on an unconventional international journey, developing an intense bond along the way.

What We Think: I’ll say the nice things first…

It’s beautifully shot; the costumes and sets are gorgeous. It looks authentic for being a period piece, and all the modern music in the movie is very good. The soundtrack is stuff I would listen to for sure (I’m 90% certain one of the songs was a Bikini Kill song). It’s also well acted, as both lead actresses deliver very strong performances. Objectively speaking, there were a lot of elements here that could have made it a decent film, and it clearly had a budget.

Okay, here it goes: my not-so-nice thoughts.

Dear God, I found this movie boring. Over two hours, and I was not in the least bit entertained. I will own that I don’t think I was the target audience for this piece. But frankly, if I were asked to sit through it again, it would be torture. The whole movie hinges on a toxic relationship I never root for. The Empress, the titular Sisi, is an inherently deeply unlikable character—narcissistic, cold, and impulsive to a fault. I did not find her likable in the least, and considering 90% of the movie is Countess Irma dealing with her, I found it frustrating. Even when there were points I should have sympathized with Sisi, I was waiting for the next plot beat. I absolutely did not care about her tragic backstory or circumstances; they didn’t excuse her behavior.

The whole thing was the equivalent of watching that one friend you have continuously going back to that toxic ex, while you watch them get their heart broken over and over again. Eventually, you get tired. Sisi does so many awful and/or annoying things that it’s hard to see her as a character you want to watch on screen for so long. Some of the humor had its moments, but frankly, this movie was not worth the two hours. It’s a pretty-looking film, but by the time we reached its climax, I did not care what was happening.

Sisi and I overstayed our welcome at over two hours. If it weren’t for the excruciating runtime, it would have gotten a C. That being said…

Our Grade: D, I think this might be my first ever D that I’ve handed out. I can’t remember if I’ve ever given this grade before. See, the thing is, it didn’t offend me enough to be an F, but with how little I enjoyed this movie, I can’t give it a C. It’s pretty, has a great soundtrack, and features great acting, but if you’re a movie that’s both long AND boring? Yeah, that gets a low grade from me. My nerves can only take so much.