Director
Yorgos Lanthimos
(THE LOBSTER, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER)

Starring
Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman.

Much of the hype around The Favourite revolves around the performances of its three leading ladies; and from that aspect, the film doesn’t disappoint. But how does the rest of it stack up?

In the latest effort from director Yorgos Lanthimos, who is noted for his perhaps polarizing film choices, he tackles the reign of Queen Anne (played by Olivia Colman) and her relationships with her favoured subjects (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz). The three really do put on an acting masterclass here. All three have been nominated for a Golden Globe for their performances (Stone and Weisz in the supporting category and Colman as a lead), and the nominations are very much deserved. Colman should take home the award in her category, and it would be hard to separate the other two in theirs. Colman definitely was the standout though. There were layers to her performance where she could make you feel genuine empathy for her character on the back of revulsion, it’s quite extraordinary to watch. The script is witty and bold, almost Oscar Wilde like, and the actors revel in the quality of the writing. What lets the film down however are a few of the stylistic choices made by Lanthimos.

Here he is far too heavy handed on awkwardly conspicuous camera angles. The use of fish bowl shots don’t seem to serve a purpose other than to irritate the audience, and the overuse of extreme low angle shots is distracting to the scene. The music can also seem overbearing at times, with repetition used in an attempt to build the tension, but instead leaving you longing for the scene to end. These are real detractors from everything that is brilliant about the film.

The story in itself is quite remarkable, even more so given the fact that a lot of it is based on true events. It’s not often you see films about a lesbian love triangle within the monarchy (and that maybe isn’t a bad thing given some of Britain’s more notable Queen’s ).  There are no doubt a number of liberties taken with the telling of the story, but for the most part, it’s based on historical letters from Queen Anne herself, verifying the romantic nature of her relationships with the two women.

The Favourite isn’t going to be a film for everyone’s taste; it can feel long in parts and a little underdone in others, but if you enjoy seeing actors in their element, then this is a film very much worth watching. I myself have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, there were so many things done exceptionally well, but those few directorial choices ruined what would otherwise be a perfect film.

4 stars

Trailer
THE FAVOURITE

Movie Maven would like to thank her Granddad for giving her $50 for Christmas which she used to see this film.

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