“The Favourite” (2018)
Absurdist 18th Century madness from Yorgos Lanthimos.
I’ve had a rather circuitous route to the films of Greek born filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. “The Lobster” was on my film watching radar for years (mainly because of its star Colin Farrell and because it sounded nuts) and likewise “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”, both of which I finally watched, loved and penned my thoughts on almost exactly a year ago. 48 hours ago I had the very real pleasure of seeing his latest cinematic offering “Poor Things” for the very first time and so, being the contrarian and completest that I am, last evening I turned out the lights, rustled up a bowl of popcorn and settled into his 2018 film “The Favourite”, an absurdist 18th century period drama starring the triumvirate of Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
Considering Lanthimos’ other trio of most recently released films centre on a science fiction Frankenstein tale of unrequited love and discovery, a young man placing a grotesque hex on a family and a man choosing to be a lobster “because they live for a hundred years” if he doesn’t find love in a strange hotel in a strange, strange land, an 18th Century period drama in the Court of Queen Anne wouldn’t seem to be a coherent fit but it is, sharing as it does with its cinema stablemates a jarring awkward language full of the foulest outbursts this side of a three way love triangle, no filter conversations with zero to little regard for the person on the receiving end and a sweeping pun intended majesty to both the music (as in all four of his films that I’ve watched) and an Oscar nominated production design, one of ten such nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, sharing the highest number of nominations with a far more successful “Roma” directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
"The Essential Film Reviews Collection" - Vol.7
"Poor Things" (2023) Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
"The Killing of a Sacred Deer" (2017) Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
"The Lobster" (2015) Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Working backwards, “The Favourite” only triumphed in one of its ten nominations in 2019 and a “Best Actress” golden statuette bestowed upon Olivia Colman for her gruff, unwell, cantankerous, irascible, unhappy and seemingly forever close to tears portrayal of a Queen in the centre of a love triangle and surrounded by the 17 rabbits who act as surrogates for the children she lost so soon or surrounding their births. There is a real tangible “power behind the throne” dynamic in her love affair with “Lady Sarah Churchill” (Rachel Weisz) before “Abigail Hill” (Emma Stone) resumes her place in high Royal society and in the loving affections of an English Queen at war with neighbouring France. Whereas Weisz’ character is often found in more masculine attire and very definitely in charge of all matters of State, Stone’s character reminded me very much of Barry Keoghan in last year’s highly recommended “Saltburn”, a watcher from afar desperately trying to eke their way into the centre of the moneyed story.
“I’m on my side. Always” proclaims Stone’s Abigail Hill, and she most definitely is.
My least pun intended favourite of Yorgos Lanthimos’ four most recently released films but then again, “Poor Things”, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “The Lobster” are a hell of a trio of incredible films, if 18th Century period dramas are your bag and you can ease into the flow of his deliberately grating and awkward dialogue, this could very well be the Royal film for you.