The Favourite is total madness in the best possible way and creates characters with tremendous depth, and a visually stunning setting that you can’t look away from.
After the movie was over I found myself perplexed and unsure how I actually felt about the film but after more thought I really came to love this film. The ability for The Favourite to make you feel so many emotions in one film is really a triumph.
You are feeling things like jealousy, anger, sadness/heartbreak, wit, and so many more. These are all core emotions that create the heart of this movie.
All of these emotions are depicted and played out through the main characters who are Queen Anne played by Olivia Colman, Sarah Churchill played by Rachel Weisz, and Abigail Masham played by Emma Stone.
The performances are some of the best I’ve seen on screen in a long time. The stand out really is Olivia Colman, but I have to give a shout out to Emma Stone because I think this is her best performance to date.
I think this because Stone is doing something I’ve never seen her do before and is so nasty and vile in the movie. Stone is acting in a vastly different way from the happy go lucky performances she usually does and she knocks it out of the park in The Favourite.
Something that I can’t emphasize enough about this movie is the performances and Olivia Colman goes from one mood to another in the snap of a finger without seeming phony or over acting.
Rachel Weisz plays a strong willed character who is brutally honest with the Queen and never lets up, but you soon learn she has one of the biggest hearts.
The audience comes to realize that all three characters come together to create a cohesive governing body, but when you take one away or one has too much power it all starts to fall apart.
The ability for Director Lanthimos and Screenwriters Davis and McNamara to create such complex emotions, characters, and stories without the movie seeming muddy is truly a triumph and something that makes the film so enjoyable and also so complex.
Frustration is the point of the film as I found myself feeling angered after the first viewing which was a reason why I was unsure about the film originally. After more thought, if a film is able to affect you that much it must be a masterpiece.
The movie does not portray women as the victims during this time period and shows that there was massive scheming, and manipulation by these three women to seek power.
Instead of depicting a toddler like battle over love The Favourite shows two women sparring for affection from Queen Anne and the ability to seize power.
An honorable nod should go to Nicholas Hoult who plays Robert Harley. He very accurately depicts how men would overlook powerful women who are actually pulling the strings.
Hoult brings a lot of witty comedy to the film in his interactions with Stone and is how we start to realize Stone’s vile motives.
It’s stunning how Stone, Weisz, and Colman depict this battle for power without it seeming petty and that is truly captivating to watch.
Cinematography takes center stage in The Favourite and we see stunning landscapes, costumes, and architecture.
There is never a dull moment in what you see on screen, and the way The Favourite is filmed is one that’s unique but doesn’t seem to be trying too hard.
Inside the castle there are so many beautiful wide shots of people walking down halls, getting the Queen dressed and is really a visual masterpiece.
There are so many factors that go into The Favourite. It quite literally makes you feel what the characters are feeling on screen and that’s accredited to the top notch acting and fantastic screenwriting.
Although after first viewing I was not sure how to feel, and wanted to give it a C+ or B- because I was so frustrated and glum after the movie.
I came to the realization that it’s the point of the movie to make you feel that way, and if a movie does make you emit and feel so many emotions without the movie seeming messy is a success.
The Favourite is a complex work of art that is deserving of the high praise it’s getting, and is truly one of the most elaborate and beautiful movies of the year.
I give The Favourite an A+
