Movie Review: The Favourite

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2019)

The Favourite has been surrounded by a lot of hype recently and so I felt compelled to see it for myself before Oscar season is truly upon us.
Having seen it I have to say that the hype is justified and it will make perfect sense when this is inevitably nominated for a bunch of Academy Awards in a few weeks. Lanthimos is truly one of the best and most fascinating filmmakers working today, it is really saying something that a film this insane could be the most accessible and mainstream work within a directors filmography. Fans of Lanthimos's more 'out there' work on The Lobster or Killing of a Sacred Deer should not be disappointed by his first attempt at a period drama, this film is just as darkly funny and features just as much jarringly impressive camera work as any of the directors previous work. The favourite is full of almost Wes Anderson like 180° whip pans and glorious tracking shots that show of the excellent set and costume design which all looks absolutely beautiful with the use of natural lighting.
A few times during this film Lanthimos uses a fish eye lens that at first is quite distracting but you eventually settle into it the more it is used. It seems clear to me that he is making some sort of statement here or it has a sort of thematic relevance but honestly I have no idea why it is there.
Despite what a fantastic job Lanthimos has done here the reason that this is getting so much attention is for the absolutely incredible performances by the three leads. Rachel Weisz manages to gain a little sympathy from the audience despite playing such a cold and calculated character, Emma Stone completely breaks type-casting with her most physical performance to date playing a character equal parts put upon and manipulative and Olivia Colman finally gets a role that allows her to fully show off her abilities both as a dramatic lead and a comedic power house.
For me the Favourite comes across as a statement on the ridiculous nature of wealth and its relationship to sex and power. Lanthimos is a filmmaker that is just as content to make you laugh as he is to make you cringe.
With fantastic performances and beautiful cinematography this is almost guaranteed a good time at the Oscars, while I personally think that Lanthimos has offered more interestingly twisted work in the past there is no denying the achievement of this film.
8/10