Yorgos Lanthimos returns with a delightful, dark power play in Baroque England

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2019)

Lanthimos has arisen in fame due to being one of the most original film makers in the business and whilst "The Favourite" is certainly Lanthimos' most mainstream film and the first time he has directed a film not screen written by him, it is very much his own work, full of the quirks you've come to expect from the auteur. Unsurprising, his cold approach, dark humour and jarring soundtrack may put some off, but I for one, was not.
Set amidst the political turmoil of the War of Spanish Succession and loosely based off historical events (the truth probably involved less cunnilingus), this male dominated world of 18th century England finds three members of the female sex at the centre of its story. It is hard to go further without first discussing those three central performances of the film. Unsurprisingly its triumvirate of Olivia Colman as the volatile and melancholic Queen Anne, Rachel Weisz as the steely, caustic Duchess Sarah Churchill, and Emma Stone as the ambitious, artful Abigail Hill help to steal the show in an acting masterclass. I particularly loved Weisz's portrayal of Sarah Churchill as Queen Anne's oldest best friend, confidante and clandestine lover who users her position to rule the country through the Queen for her family's benefit although she undoubtedly harbours love for Anne. Facing off against her is Stone's Abigail Hill, Sarah's cousin whose father had fallen from grace leaving her as a lowly maid. However once offered the chance by Sarah Churchill to lift herself out of poverty, Abigail will quickly ditch her integrity and will stop at nothing to ensure her future security and prosperity.
At the centre of this salacious story of betrayal and manipulation which would make Tywin Lannister proud is Colman's Queen Anne who cuts a pathetic figure, physically burdened with gout and myopia as well as emotionally ruined by the loss of every one of her seventeen children/pregnancies. Colman's performance draws a narrow line, helping humanise her character whilst still maintaining a great sense of comedic timing as she is browbeaten and flattered by Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill respectively.
The unfolding high stakes battle is gripping as it is funny, populated with all the vanity and pompous excess to be expected from a Baroque court of a slightly unhinged queen, the men each donned out in outrageous wigs, garish mascara and extravagant clothes in direct contrast to the washed out, colour palette of the women's costumes. Rarely subtle in direction department, "The Favourite" features bizarre low shots, distorting fish-eye lenses and is sound tracked to a mixture of baroque music and Lanthimos' characteristic discordant and often overpowering score. Despite an ambiguous and somewhat abrupt ending, "The Favourite" was everything I wanted it to be and more, an absurd satire and cynical assessment of human motivation which made me laugh and marvel at some stellar performances along the way.