Overview
- World premiering in the festival’s Special section, the film reimagines Elizabeth Báthory as a resurrected aristocrat stalking contemporary Vienna.
- Critics praise Huppert’s commanding performance and the film’s lavish visuals, while noting slack plotting and less compelling supporting turns.
- The narrative follows the countess searching for an ancient book said to make vampires mortal, a premise used to explore power and commemoration.
- Ottinger developed the project over decades with Jelinek contributing to the script, and the feature was mounted as a European co‑production.
- Production details reported at the festival cite a roughly €8 million budget and a 30‑day Vienna shoot, with Birgit Minichmayr, Thomas Schubert, Lars Eidinger, and Conchita Wurst among the cast.