Strong 4 // Lanthimos' strongest yet

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2019)

It's a bit mystifying that a director as uncompromisingly weird as Yorgos Lanthimos has broken this far into the mainstream. Mystifying, and wonderful, of course. He's a filmmaker with a unique voice, strong creative vision, and, most importantly, the talent to fully realize that vision on screen. Look no further than his first two compellingly bizarre English language films, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, for convincing evidence of this.
The Favourite is his strongest work yet. It's every bit as offbeat, darkly comedic, and unflinching as his past work but manages to be a tad more accessible, too. His typical comedically stilted and deadpan characters have been swapped for those with decidedly more... color. The emotional hysterics, conniving antics, and general bad behavior of the supposedly high-class characters here set against the pomp-and-circumstance backdrop give the film its beating comedic heart.
And what a backdrop it is. If for nothing else, see this film for its wonderfully over-the-top performances and gorgeous visual presentation. The castle and its grounds are stunning and Lanthimos frames it all with beautiful panoramic shots, natural lighting, and surprisingly well-utilized fisheye lenses. The camerawork is highly dynamic with lots of fast pans and tracking shots that truly capture the scale and space of the castle. And all three leads, as well as Nicholas Hoult in the supporting role, bring these despicable characters to life and lend so much to the entertainment value of the film in their performances.
The story here of opportunism, selfishness, and climbing the social ladder via nefarious methods is certainly something we've seen before, but the irreverent execution and transgressive love triangle at its center add more than enough freshness. It's certainly a timely story as well given the chaotic state of the White House over the past two years and had me reflecting quite a bit on how frighteningly close art can mirror reality.
And while not exactly a crowd-pleaser, the unexpectedly haunting and surrealistic closing moments really struck me. It's one of those endings that catches you off guard, imbalances you, and forces you to think back over the events of the film and the themes therein. What has Emma Stone's character achieved? Where has she left to go? It does an excellent job of grounding the film and bringing its melancholy tones up from below the surface.
My only major complaint is with the pacing and structure. The first 45 minutes or so are absolutely fantastic with every scene feeling vibrant and vital. The tension simmers and bubbles between Stone and Weisz's characters and their interactions give the film its backbone and narrative thrust. However, as a consequence of certain plot progressions in its latter half which I won't detail, this tension fizzles and with it the thrust. The film takes on a somewhat plodding quality and there is an air of anticlimax as we never really get a satisfying catharsis from the rivalry.
It was a notable issue for me, at least on first viewing, but it wasn't enough to significantly dampen the overall experience. And furthermore, I'm nothing but excited that an auteur like Lanthimos is getting as much exposure as he is, especially given his challenging and provocative style. It's exactly what I wish we had more of in the mainstream and gives me hope that future envelope-pushing directors can find their platform too.
Strong 4/5