Life in the palace starts to go haywire when Abigail (Emma Stone, left) arrives and tries to win the favor of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman).
The Favourite is one of my favorite movies of the year, but I saw it with my mom in Chicago, and she requests that my review include a caveat: Do not bring your mother to this twisted tale of palace intrigue. She’s still having nightmares, reliving some of the vividly drawn details in the explicit and riveting film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster).
If you loved The Lobster or are ready for some gritty TMI in a period drama, The Favourite might work for you. So far, the film has nabbed five Golden Globe nominations and a record-breaking 10 British Independent Film Awards. It features a sharp, farcical screenplay (by Tony McNamara and Deborah Davies), along with Lanthimos’ signature weirdness and Oscar-worthy performances by three strong women.
Olivia Colman plays Queen Anne, a petulant, unhinged and gout-ridden ruler of 18th-century England, who spends much of her life in her lavishly decorated room surrounded by rabbits. At the start of the film, her close friend and lover, Lady Sarah (a marvelous Rachel Weisz), does a lot of the decision-making for the queen, playing two sides of wigged and rouged male politicians off each other. One faction supports a war against France, and another wants to sue for peace.
But the balance of power is upset when a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone), arrives. Abigail used to be “a lady,” but she has fallen from grace after her father lost her in a card game to a “large German with a tiny cock.” That’s an apt symbol of what life was like for women in those days, and one of the things that makes the film so refreshing is the naked (sometimes literally) power plays between Abigail and Sarah. Despite the rampant sexism and normalized rape culture, in this story, the women call the shots.
Abigail’s a schemer of the highest order. She wants to be a lady again, and will do just about anything to regain her status. She maneuvers her way into the queen’s graces — and her bed — while Sarah responds in kind. The queen’s affections bounce between the two, and the fate of the war hangs in the balance.
Lanthimos creates a creepy vibe with extreme closeups, focusing on unexpected moments and images. The marvelous score includes gorgeous classical pieces by Bach, Handel and Vivaldi and haunting modern music by Olivier Messiaen, Luc Ferrari and Anna Meredith.
One reason why The Favourite is lining up to be an award winner in this day and age is because of how rare it is, especially in period pieces, to see such strong and complex female characters on the big screen. These women will make you laugh and wince, in equal measure. Sorry, Mom: It’s an unforgettable cinematic experience.
