A sublime film, whip smart, and the best of the year

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2018)

The year closes with this excellent gift from Yorgos Lanthimos. He executed flawlessly a whip smart script from Tony McNamara & Deborah Davis.
This costume drama/comedy focuses on the power games of the Lady Sarah and her penniless cousin Abigail. Former lady Abigail vies to further herself and become "the favourite" of Queen Anne, played to great effect by Olivia Colman.
There is a beautiful social critique contained in the film. It asks us why we cannot accept others for who they are if they have different preferences than us. Social mobility is touched on in the character of Abigail. Examined are questions are how much further really we've come from this time period and if we're as advanced as we think we are. The absurdity of the limits of supposedly absolute power by a queen is a really funny subtext here.
Ultimately the elements making this the best Lanthimos film and a shoe in come awards season are the phenomenal cast, direction, and the many questions left to ponder.