Sublime adaption of a real story with well written script, sublime acting and a moody, truly accurate production design. Truly Powerful! 'I HAVE A VOICE!'

Rating: 9/10 (3 January 2020)

This is a powerful, hilarious and deeply moving story, told against the backdrop of a critical juncture in modern history, of the emergence of a deep friendship out of a professional relationship between two men who would otherwise never have socially interacted. The screenplay, written by David Seidler (who also wrote Tucker: The Man and his Dream), is excellent. The dry British wit is hilarious. Tom Hooper (Elizabeth I) does a superb job directing this movie.
The acting was just more than SUBLIME. During the watch I was constantly amazed how much I could relate to the characters - they displayed their emotional landscapes so believable and well. The buildup to the climactic finale is skillfully executed. Geoffrey Rush (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) does a fantastic job as Lionel Logue and Colin Firth (A Single Man) is excellent as King George VI.
Personally, I really enjoyed the MOOD of the film. This was of course done by acting, but also the VISUALITY: Cinematography does its part by using many unbalanced shots to portray the tension, insecurity and struggle of George VI or the relationship between Lionel and George VI... this framing tells the emotional problems even without the dialogue... and combined WITH the script / dialogue these scenes are extremely strong! Also, I am VERY much in love with the set design and locations. Eve Stewart (production designer) managed to create a very well done period movie where all the props, sets, walls, furniture.. everything feels so RIGHT (in an interview: They researched the periods so deeply they just 'knew' it by heart. One can tell by watching!). This production design shows in every detail the social and political pressure, the emotional struggles between depressed hopelessness and coming-of-age (somehow) to an individual voice.
The 'normal' viewer who does not pay attention to these details will not 'see' them... but feel them. This is what brilliant production design does: showing the essence of the character's story... without you realizing it.
Some background info that made the film even better for me:
It turns out that David Seidler also had a stuttering problem as a child and drew inspiration from the king's struggle. Early in his career he wanted to write a screenplay about it. He dutifully asked the Queen Mother for permission. She agreed but told him "not in my lifetime". Little did he know she would live to be 101 and he would have to wait another 30 years. Another interesting tidbit we learned was that near the end of the shoot, the crew finally located one of Lionel Logue's grandsons, who just so happened to live about 10 minutes away from the director. They got access to Lionel's diaries and correspondence and managed to incorporate some of it into the script.
A 'real-life-story' adaption of it's own kind. It was deep, well-researched, well executed. Wow!