Impactful.

Rating: 8/10 (14 November 2019)

Yorgos Lanthimos is a unique filmmaker and he proves this film after film. His style is surrounded by ethereal and almost surreal passages, unconventional and somewhat unorthodox storytelling, distinctive camera techniques that allude to certain narrative moments in film. For example, the use of fish-eye lenses in The Favourite, which brings a distorted image of the protagonists, leading to the notion of emotional instability and disruptiveness. The film counts with three leading ladies, all of whom are exceptionally brilliant in their performances, specially Olivia Colman and Rachel Weisz (her portrayal gave me chills). The acting definitely feels much more vivid and much less monotonous in comparison to Lanthimos' previous films such as The Lobster, which makes it more accessible for people unfamiliar with his work. Having said that, The Favourite still contains elements that may cause casual viewers to shy away from this effort, most notably its dark humour, its remarkable use of natural light, along with meticulous photographic compositions that inevitably make The Favourite a painstakingly elaborate feature, an artistical product that even with that ultra-careful attention to composition details can make unfamiliar spectators feel uneasy and slightly disturbed.
That is how Lanthimos' film aesthetic works, he uses any element at his reach to provoke and disturb filmgoers, and he achieves this with this film, although to a much lesser extent than his previous works. Undoubtedly this has had mixed opinions, and with absolute reason, but I have to add, that to understand pretty much every aspect of this film (dialogue, acting, camera movements; lenses; techniques, aesthetic, themes) you have to be a bit familiar with the director's work, so that you won't easily disregard this film for its unusual approach, because I'm sure most viewers would expect a simple take on a period piece, but this is much more than that, so much more. And do you know why? His name is Yorgos Lanthimos.