Yorgos
Lanthimos, the 44-year old Greek director behind such eccentric and
off-the-beaten-path arthouse (as in inaccessible) films as ‘Dogtooth,’ ‘The
Lobster’ and ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer,’ goes mainstream for a change in his
latest, the costume drama/period piece ‘The Favourite’ featuring Emma Stone,
Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman. While
‘The Favourite’ isn’t as daringly subversive as his earlier movies, it is nevertheless
unmistakably the work of the idiosyncratic indie auteur.
Set
in the early 18th Century during the reign of Queen Anne (played by Colman) in
England, ‘The Favourite’ is so named because it’s about two noblewomen (rather,
one noblewoman and one aspiring noblewoman) who would do anything to ingratiate
themselves with the queen-child and thus becoming her “Favourite.” The film starts off with a clear and
seemingly unassailable favourite, the Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill
(Weisz), who acts as regent to the frail queen in all affairs of state. A power monger and hardliner, she advocates
escalating the war with France over the vigorous protests of the overtaxed
landed gentry -- surely, if today's wars are still financed by the one-percenters
we would see far fewer of them -- represented by Nicholas Hoult’s powdered
wig-wearing, rouge-cheeked Robert Harley, purportedly so that England can sue
for peace from a position of strength. Alas,
she unwittingly planted the seeds of her own downfall when she took into the
royal household her penniless and pitiable cousin, Abigail Hill (Stone), whose
ambition is only matched by her Machiavellian machinations.
As
a costume soap opera spiced with liberal doses of black humor, there is much to
like in ‘The Favourite’ despite its snail-like pace. Much of that is due to the fine performances of
its trio of headstrong drama queens as well as Lanthimos’ portrayal of
their often-times complex interrelationships.
If you decide to give this movie a chance, I think you’ll find ‘The
Favourite’ to be the guilty pleasure that it is.
Grade: A
Grade: A
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