A fly-on-the-wall exploration to a story nearly lost to time.

Rating: Null/10 (31 December 2018)

A drama woven with dark comedy, much like Lanthimos' past films The Lobster (2015) & The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), set in 18th century England yet feeling just as relevant today. The locations & costuming are impeccable while utilizing natural light to give the film the feeling of a Caravaggio painting come to life. Wide-angle lenses are used in many shots to show the entirety of a room, displaying our subject small in the frame as if trapped inside something bigger than themselves. The fish-eye lens also gives the audience the view of peeking into this world we don't belong to see all that it has to offer, from its glamour to its garbage. But where this film truly shines are the performances by the three female leads: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, & Rachel Weisz. Each of these actresses do an incredible job of making us love & hate them at different times throughout the film, for all of their plotting & positioning for power. But no matter how high you might rise in the system you will always find yourself under someone else's heel.