The Favourite is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
Drama, History, Comedy. Released 2018.
My main attraction to this piece was Emma Stone - I am surprisingly unfamiliar with Olivia Colman's work (even though she's a national treasure), and I have never seen a Yorgos Lanthimos film. Little did I know, I was about to experience one of the most unconventional and masterfully bizarre films I had ever seen.
I don't quite know where to start because every single stylistic aspect of this film is so utterly original and unlike anything I've seen. I'll start with the script - witty, sharp, farcical, quick, punchy, satirical, hilarious, genius...with terrifically risky and unpredictable character arcs. Each is written with a wonderful sense of individuality yet establishes a collective character dynamic as a singular driving force of the film...
...perfectly brought to life by the three lead performers. Olivia Colman’s portrayal as Queen Anne is overtly hilarious, but under every comedic aspect of her character there is something rather devastating - something which requires a very skilled performance, and Colman delivers just that. Rachel Weisz is delightfully deadpan and perfectly works opposite a Olivia Colman whose humour is more comical. Emma Stone, in my opinion, is the true lead of the film, since we as the audience are introduced to the residence of Queen Anne through her eyes, and also because she embodies the tone of the film. Where Colman and Weisz’s duo-dynamic comes together to form the film’s overall flavour, Stone carries that all on her own with envious wit, certainty and deviousness.
If Alfonso Cuaron didn’t release Roma this year, I predict that Yorgos Lanthimos would be the undeniable frontrunner for Best Director, and I would have no complaints. What he does here is, again, unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and shows his ability to elevate the actors’ already-excellent work and match the stylistic elements of the film with the sharp wit of the characters.
The Favourite is a sumptuously original film and like nothing you would expect from its over-done genre and is an incredibly refreshing and exciting change of pace.
A
If Alfonso Cuaron didn’t release Roma this year, I predict that Yorgos Lanthimos would be the undeniable frontrunner for Best Director, and I would have no complaints. What he does here is, again, unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and shows his ability to elevate the actors’ already-excellent work and match the stylistic elements of the film with the sharp wit of the characters.
The Favourite is a sumptuously original film and like nothing you would expect from its over-done genre and is an incredibly refreshing and exciting change of pace.
A
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