The Favourite (2018)
Combining pathos, satire, and absurdism, writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos has made some original arthouse features.
However, The Favourite is not only his most accessible feature to date, but also the richest in feeling, and the most dazzlingly performed, especially by the three central women.
The whole film is consistently defined by acid humor, cruel ironies and caustic wit.
Olivia Colman won the Best Actress Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of Queen Anne (1665-1714), a woman haunted by the loss of 17 children in infancy or through miscarriage, and who was afflicted with gout and possibly bipolar disorder or mental depression.
When Abigail (Emma Stone), a gentlewoman so down on her luck she’s working as a maid, arrives at court, she schemes to supplant the queen’s lover-adviser0friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz).
The dialogue blends modern colloquialisms with mock-17th century turns of phrase and liberal sprinkling of Anglo-Saxon cuss words.
There’s mix of old and new elements throughout this film, from Robbie Ryan’s digital cinematography to Sandy Powell’s stylized but period-accurate costumes.
