A wonderful depiction of the powerplays inside a royal court

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2019)

This period piece focusses on Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) of Great Britain's latter days, in the early 1700. Her frailty leads to her governing role and responsibilities largely being taken over by a friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). The royal applecart gets well and truly upset when a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone) comes to court. Sarah helps Abigail find her feet at the court, where her former aristocratic position in society assists her blossoming friendship with the Queen. The interplay of these three characters, all brilliantly portrayed is the heart of the film, and one where the outcome really is more than the sum of the parts.
I wasn't familiar with Queen Anne (except as the inspiration for furniture legs) and so it opened new ground, both politically but also socially in the implied lesbian relationships between the three women.
One thing this period drama gets correct that so many do not is the lighting. At night, the film is dark, really dark, with a few spluttering candles, lamps and firelight. It makes the intrigue of dark corners and whispered secrets come to life.
Olivia Colman won that year's Oscar for Leading Actress, which I suppose she deserved, but I would have found it hard to say which of the three main characters was the lead and which were supporting roles.
It sets a high bar for this film genre.