Oscars 2019: Review - The Favourite

My first review of the Awards Season is quite an exciting one because it's a film that has really captured me in a fascinating way and by the time you read this, we'll know how well it's done at picking up nominations but for the record, I think this film is probably going to lead the nominations. Anyway, I'm talking about The Favourite, the new film from weirdo Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Maybe the weirdest thing about the film is that the plot is relatively normal, on paper just a typical period drama. It's about Queen Anne (a real life figure) who is suffering from gout and will therefore often hand over her regal duties to her friend, adviser and lover Sarah Marlborough. This however is complicated when Sarah's cousin Abigail rocks up into town and seems to be trying to usurp Sarah's position. Their struggle for that position of huge power and what their motivations behind that are make up for the majority of the film, in that I would be hard pushed to point out many major plot points (although emotional plot points are aplenty, if that makes sense). Regardless, watching that dynamic as it evolves and then mutates and then becomes toxic is the great joy of the film and so while it isn't scripted by Lanthimos, it still has many of the pleasures of his other work.

More than anything else (fair or not), the performances are what has been generating the lions share of attention for this film and it does delight me to say that all of that attention is fully deserved. Before I get into the performances, one of the most interesting things about them is that the core trio of Anne, Sarah and Abigail are perfectly balanced. They all have an equal amount of screen time and they all occupy various different realms of power throughout the film, giving each actress so much space to flex their acting muscles. I suppose Olivia Colman is the closest thing this film has to a lead as Queen Anne and she's brilliant. Watching her child-like Queen romp and stomp around the castle reminded me a lot of Sophie from Peep Show but a much more nuanced version. It's easily the best work I've ever seen from Colman and that's saying a lot about an actress that talented. Equally brilliant though is Rachel Weisz playing Sarah. She's a character who slowly reveals herself the further the film goes but it says a lot about Weisz's performance that on a second watch, those subtleties reveal themselves. Even without that second watch though, she has some of the most brilliantly cutting lines in the entire film and delivers them with a gorgeous sting. Rounding out the trio is Emma Stone as Abigail. It is really odd to see Stone in a film as weird as this, especially now that she's an A-list star but it's to her great credit that she still brings her all. If it wasn't for Maniac last year, I'd say this was her best work but it's still some of her best. There are also some men in the film but honestly, I'm going to do what the film does and just kind of ignore them. The only man in this film worth talking about is Horatio, the fastest duck in the city. He's a dreamboat.

With The Favourite, I kind of had what could be considered a series of learning curves to get over before I really grew to love it. Essentially, my first feelings on the film were that it was going to be a Yorgos Lanthimos film, twisted and dementedly funny in the ways that Dogtooth, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer were but was surprised to see the marketing later. See, the film has been marketed (and I'm sure you've seen this) as quite a broad comedy, being what could most bravely described as an offbeat period drama. That's how I went into the film but in actual fact, it's what I expected: it's a Yorgos Lanthimos film through and through. That means the laughs are often uncomfortable and in a cinema, there's a good chance you could be the only one laughing at them. It also means that the film is rich with tragedy, in ways that won't surprise you and plenty of ways that will. Most offputting for many unused to his style though is the really odd camera work. Lanthimos has changed his cinematographer from some of his earlier work to Robbie Ryan and one of the fascinating things is that with each film, Lanthimos changes how the cinematography nauseates you. Instead of the constant movement of Sacred Deer though, here Ryan uses very wide lenses and predominantly low angles throughout. The meaning is for you to interpret really (I see them as expressions of the power dynamics) but what is not as much for debate is that it works to create a vibe that is totally unique. The score also does this and while I'm too uncultured to differentiate from original score and classical music (it's the Quite Nerdy Blog, not the Quite Cultured Blog), there are plenty of pieces with violin plucking that are almost guaranteed to make you feel like utter shit. Which I mean as a compliment. Honest.

The Favourite may not be my favourite Lanthimos film (The Killing of a Sacred Deer holds that title and I have an exceptionally soft spot for Dogtooth) but it's his most accesible yet and I got huge amounts of delight from it. It's not an easy watch but I'm just delighted that a film this weird is getting such serious awards consideration. Please give it a shot if you haven't, and I happily give The Favourite a