It’s 1877 in Austria, and the 40th birthday of Empress Elisabeth (Vicky Krieps) is fast approaching. Constrained by the uptight traditions of life at the head of the Austrian monarchy, the restless empress longs to escape – so she heads off on a grand trip across Europe to call on old friends and old flames alike. But with the strings of convention continuing to tighten, are Elisabeth’s attempts to bring excitement back into her life mere acts of rebellion? Kreutzer’s feature is a wonderful subversion of period-drama practice – blessed by a magnificent star turn from Krieps (Phantom Thread), which won the Un Certain Regard Best Performance Prize at Cannes.