Olivia Colman Achieves Greatness in Yorgos Lanthimos's Wicked Tale!

Rating: 7/10 (31 December 2018)

'The Favourite' is Director Yorgos Lanthimos's most accessible film to date. Yes, the man who gave us a film like The Lobster (I haven't seen his other works hence I only have that one film as a reference), now presents us a period piece, of power, greed, cruelty and lust. While not perfect, 'The Favourite' is nonetheless an entirely well-made tale, who's wicked behavior is hard to resist. And Olivia Colman, in the film's meatiest role, achieves acting greatness. It's a virtuoso performance from the firebrand actress.
'The Favourite' Synopsis: In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne (Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz oozing ease of a seasoned veteran) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone, a complete hoot) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.
'The Favourite' is a twisted tale of three complex women who are unable to look at life without power in their hands. What I particularly loved here was the diversity of its principal characters, who have only one similarity: the greed for power. And while not all of their cruelly ambitious motives land as arrestingly as expected, its hard not to be seduced by these women. I really enjoyed the sexual tension as well as the unpredictability among the women.
Having said that, 'The Favourite' has a few shortcomings of its own. Deborah Davis
and Tony McNamara's Screenplay is a little too long and lacks some sharpness. Sure, length is never a problem, but the Writing lacks some bite in the film's latter half. While the first-hour is a mix of sadistic humor and delicious twists, the second-hour is less effective in the same nature it begins upon. But again, these aren't flaws so deep that they take away from an otherwise engaging film. The Writing, for a large chunk of the film, is swift and arresting. Lanthimos's Direction is lush. The man has outdone himself here and has Directed this period piece with sheer class. Robbie Ryan's Cinematography is gorgeous. The Lensman has captured this classy affair with absolute ease. Not one frame lacks beauty. Lanthimos and Ryan deserve Oscar-Attention, next year! Yorgos Mavropsaridis's Editing is crisp. Art & Costume Design are astoundingly done. The Score is top-notch.
And now to the performances! 'The Favourite' has a strong ensemble cast, who bring in their A-Game. Colman takes the lead, of course. As Queen Anne, Colman is acting greatness at its truest. She expresses grief, pain, jealously, love, fear and humanity, all at once, in a performance that deserves respect and accolades. Colman is the underdog this year, who has left us all spell-bound, with a portrayal so deep and personal, it would be unfair to rank it only among the best of the year. It's much more than that.
Following up to Colman, Weisz and Stone are exceptional. Weisz is quietly powerful as a women who fears losing her power and love, adapting and entirely inhabiting the character for a first-rate turn. Stone is at her most uninhibited and portrays the opportunist to perfection.
And while it's the Women who rule the show without any doubt, the men here also do credible jobs. Nicholas Hoult, in particular, is a complete revelation in a key-role, while Joe Alwyn delivers a yet another impressive performance.
On the whole, 'The Favourite' is not perfection, but it most certainly is a well-made, gorgeously shot film with some excellent performances, and one that merits an Oscar. Watch It!