A Lady-In-Waiting and a Duchess Fight for a Queen's Friendship

Emma Stone (left) and Olivia Colman in
"The Favourite"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Director Yorgos Lanthimos is a filmmaker who has made some of the strangest and most intriguing films of the last 10 years.  There's his 2009 family-drama, "Dogtooth"; his 2016 sci-fi film, "The Lobster"; and his 2017 psychological-thriller, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer."  Each of these films is an enigmatic entry into their genres, and they're perfect remedies for people who are looking for a film that will leave them as puzzled as much as fascinated.

He now tries his hand at a costume-film with his dark comedy, "The Favourite," an examination of a royal friendship triangle, and at each of its points is a wonderful performance, all of which help in making this film one of the year’s best.

In the early eighteenth century, Great Britain’s Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) has lived a life of luxury, but one that's also been burdened by hardships.  Throughout her life, she has had the aid of her righthand woman and best friend, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz).  However, tensions begin to brew when a young woman named Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) arrives at the queen's estate to seek employment.  As she begins to rise among the ranks of the castle and becomes friends with the queen, jealousy soon gets a hold of Sarah, leading to her and Abigail competing for the monarch's attention.

Colman delivers a performance that's as funny as it is tragic.  Her comical regality, with how she screams in frustration and makes demands of her subjects, add up to work that has huge entertainment value.  While she can draw out many laughs from her work, her portrayal of a crazed ruler doesn't go too over-the-top with her lunacy, as it's just enough to be funny, but doesn't dilute how some of these comical moments have subtle, emotional connections to how her character feels inside.

Despite Colman's work being humorous during certain sequences, the way in which she brings to light the melancholic factors of her role offers an astounding view of her versatility as an actress.  There are moments when Colman brings out Anne's softer side that are hidden behind her bow-before-me exterior, with one such scene involving Anne opening up to Abigail as the former reveals the tragedies that have plagued her life.

However, one of the strongest examples of this is a scene that takes place during a party.  In this segment, Anne, who experiences pain in her legs and has trouble walking, sits in her wheelchair as she watches Sarah dancing with one of the guests.  As this occurs, the camera remains on Anne as it pans closer to her.  Her eyes begin to tear up as she watches the two dancers, and seeing people dance across the floor reminds her of what she's unable to do, which results in one of the film’s most emotional scenes.

Stone provides superb work as we watch her character go from a polite maid to friend of the queen.  She expresses her character's wit and intelligence in ways that makes her transformation believable when she becomes an individual who can be as conniving as Sarah.  The innocence that Stone brings to Abigail makes her an intriguing character in that, even though we know she’s going to fire back at Sarah, she doesn’t seem like the type of person who would scheme against others, but Stone brings this side of her character out in full force as Abigail begins to learn the ins and outs of the queen’s day-to-day routines and finds herself in a favorable light with Anne.

Weisz's performance is icy in the best possible way.  She imbues her role with a quiet viciousness that leaves us guessing what kind of plans her character has for keeping her place alongside the queen.  Weisz brings the sinister nature of Sarah's persona with just a simple glance, letting us know that she has an abundance of mischievous thoughts circulating in her head.  Although Sarah is antagonistic towards Abigail when the latter arrives at the castle, Weisz has us experience the vulnerability of her character because of Sarah feeling threatened by the possibility of a severed connection with the queen, and we know that there's a strong sense of concern under her hostility.

One of the best parts of the movie is how all three lead performances are given a near equal amount of screen time.  This allows us to see how they all interact with each other, whether it be all three of them or just two of them sharing a scene.  These three performances are some of the most well-matched of the year, bringing a chemistry to the screen that offers as much humor as it does drama.  2018 has been filled with top-tier film performances, and to finish the year watching this trio traverse the trickiest of friendships is a moviegoing experience that you won't forget anytime soon.

Aside from the three leads, there's also a terrific supporting performance from Nicholas Hoult, who makes a tremendous impression as Robert Harley, a member of Parliament.  He's the type of character who you'll love to hate, a snake-like individual who’s always ready to strike whenever he sets out to obtain something that he wants.

The screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara does well in juggling the story arcs of its three leads, as we’re given enough of a background for each of their characters so we know who they are and what motivates their actions.  Despite the film having an abundance of humor, the things that we learn about these characters provides the film with a lot of its dramatic depth, so while it's fun to see these characters share the screen, we're reminded that Anne, Abigail, and Sarah have a lot more to their characters than the animosity between them.

Aside from the film's friendship triangle, the narrative also provides some views of the time period's political landscape.  We're given scenes within the Parliament as two opposing sides quarrel over how to handle a war with the French, as well as characters engaging in deception to achieve their political goals.  These are compelling scenes to watch, as they fit in with the larger picture of the story and manage to not bog down the rest of the movie.

The cinematography by Robbie Ryan offers gorgeous views of the castle grounds, absorbing us in the setting of the film and offering stunning details of the interior and exterior of the castle.  With Ryan's camerawork, the use of wide-angle lens and candle-lit scenes are some of the film's technical highlights.  With the wide-angle lens, their utilization emphasizes the off-kilter nature of this costume film, pretty much throwing us off balance as to what we should be expecting from this film.  For the candle-lit scenes, they evoke a sense of intrigue and unease whenever characters are walking through dark hallways or concealing themselves in the shadows.

Lanthimos didn't shy away from bringing unconventionality to different genres for his previous films, and "The Favourite" isn’t any exception, and to what we've become accustomed in costume-dramas is tossed away and replaced with something that brings the genre in an unexpected direction.  Although the story sets itself apart from all other costume films, the technical craft that goes into it emphasizes that this is still a movie within that genre, as it never loses the visual style and grandness to which we've become familiar in costume films. 

"The Favourite" is a skillful blend of heartbreak and royal debauchery where every attempt to evade the familiar pays off, making Lanthimos’ latest film a crowning achievement in moviemaking.

Grade: A