Essentially a depiction of obsession and its constituents of sex, alcohol, and uncontrolled emotions, the film portrays Schiele as an agent of social change leading to the destruction of those he loves and ultimately of himself.

The short life of Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele is chronicled against a backdrop of the final years of the Habsburg Monarchy.

Although the girl withdraws her accusations, Schiele is nevertheless requested to leave the area, as he has offended the social mores of the conservative society in which he lives.

He marries and appears to find a modicum of contentment until his wife Edith (Christine Kaufmann) falls ill during the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic.

Shot on location in Vienna and the Croatian capital city of Zagreb,[2] it was directed by Herbert Vesely and produced by Dieter Geissler [de] and Robert Hess, with cinematography by Rudolf Blahacek and soundtrack by Brian Eno.