Direction Masterclass

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2019)

Ever since "Dogtooth" Lanthimos has steadily been creating cinematic experiences which seem exceptionally innovative, highly provocative and extremely interesting. Until now, however, his somewhat minimalist preferences, coupled with his Orwellian scripts, seemed to limit his direction to cold, impersonal scenes, that were more suggestive of what was missing rather than what was being shown on screen. Ironically, this feeling was perfectly captured on the movie poster of the Lobster, depicting a man hugging a empty space in the shape of a human.
Until now.
Leaving behind his close scriptwriter and collaborator, mr Fillipou, and working on a period piece instead of a sci-fi allegory, Lanthimos the director has decided to show up -probably for the first time- and to prove that his work of genius is not reliant upon his usual themes: in the Favourite, he creates a claustrophobic movie, set inside a vast palace of breathtaking beauty and natural colors, constructed by a symphony of magnificent shots. The camera work in this movie is for the ages. The cinematography is as bold (if not bolder) than Barry Lyndon. The actors deliver top performances with a "scent" of Lanthimos's usual impersonal flair. And the music is an integral part of the overall experience.
This is a master class in film direction.
Lanthimos is precise, to the point, daring, innovative, and extremely consistent in every scene.
With the exception of the (deliberate?) vagueness of the last shot, which deviates from the Kubrickian accuracy of all other scenes, this movie is exceptional, to say the least.
It deserves all the praise it gets.
It elevates Lanthimos to the status of one of the great directors of our time, with a vision of pure cinematic genius.
And it delivers a passionate story, told in a way that can only be said by a cast and crew of exceptional artists, all of them in perfect sync and at the top of their game.
This is almost certainly the best period movie since Amadeus, and possibly the most beautifully directed period movie since Barry Lyndon.
In my humble opinion, this is without any doubt not only the best directed movie of the year, but also one of the best directed movies of the 21st century.