Following her appearances in award contenders “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” last year, chances are you’re coming across “Sisi & I” due to a newfound appreciation for actress Sandra Huller.

Huller plays the titular “I,” Irma, a Hungarian countess brought on to be a companion to Empress Elisabeth, a.k.a. Sisi (Susanne Wolff).

Sisi is just as eccentric, depressed and demanding as the people around her, making it hard to feel any empathy or appreciation for the character at any point. The only positive I can say about the Sisi character is that we get a little queer representation, emphasis on the “little” in that phrase.

On the same token, Irma comes across as very naive, gullible and whiny, so it is also hard to root for her at times. But Huller does succeed in making her captivating to watch.

I understand that loading a story with unlikeable characters is the direction some people want to go with their films (both as filmmakers and viewers), but it was just too much and my lack of empathy for the characters honestly led to me zoning out a bit.

I was fascinated by some of the historical implications and interactions in the film, but otherwise, “Sisi & I” reminded me of “Triangle of Sadness,” “Phantom Thread” and the latest TV adaptation of “The Buccaneers.” While I loved the latter, “Sisi & I” picks up on the least essential part of it and borrows some of my least favorite parts of the others.

The “Triangle of Sadness” reference comes in the visceral representation of how disgusting wealthy people can be, especially in their desire to maintain that wealth. In that movie and this one, it was just a little too visceral for me.

Just like “Phantom Thread,” “Sisi & I” places a lot of emphasis on manipulation in interpersonal relationships as a form of power struggle. Here, Irma may think she is ready to manipulate Sisi, but Sisi is always five steps ahead, having been in this game for a while.

On that note, I will say it was refreshing to see two women in their forties in this period piece. This genre generally follows women in their twenties and thirties, so I did enjoy seeing them, I just wish they were just a little more aspirational.

The modern soundtrack is the biggest connector to “The Buccaneers.” German is the primary language spoken in “Sisi & I,” but many of the song cues are modern English songs, some even on the punk rock side. Making it a little more off kilter is when Irma starts singing along to one of the songs.

All I can say is this: Come for Sandra Huller and stay for Sandra Huller, the rest can be taken or left.

Rating: 3/5