Once upon a time, I’d seen a majority of the films up for Best Picture by the time the Oscars rolled around.
That hasn’t been the case for years now.
I still try to catch up, eventually. So now I’ve gotten around to seeing The Favourite, which earned a trophy for Best Actress in a Leading Role and was nominated for a bunch of others.
All the awards buzz was well deserved. But this is still a very odd little film.
The Plot
Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), in progressively poor health, relies on her long-time friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), to help her navigate the affairs of state (and then some). All seems fine enough until Abigail (Emma Stone), a cousin of Sarah who’s family has fallen, precipitously, from grace and society, shows up at the palace with nowhere else to go and takes on a scullery position.
Time passes and the unofficial title of “Queen’s Favourite” moves from Sarah to Abigail as both women engage in numerous acts of subterfuge and sabotage against one another while the balance of power in the kingdom hangs in the balance.
To call this “loosely based” on the history is an understatement. (Kids, don’t watch this in place of reading your textbooks!) Pretty much everything “historical” is played pretty fast and loose with more weight being given to what makes for a good story rather than what makes for an accurate representation of what actually happened. (That’s apparently true in the costuming, too… and definitely in the dancing.)
“Must the duck be here?”
Everything about this film is a little odd.
The cinematography, while gorgeous, feels weird for the subject matter. Distorted pans and strange choices of angles abound. It’s infinitely more modern feeling then your typical historical drama. It also works wonderfully, despite the fact that it probably shouldn’t. (The cinematography Oscar nomination was definitely well-earned.)
The costumes, on first glance, seem to be period. Looking closer (and reading about them), they most certainly are not. Denim and vinyl and thrifted, recycled clothing abound. The wigs are glorious and silly (which, I suppose, is historically accurate). And, again, it all miraculously works. (So, that Oscar nomination for costume design, also well-earned.)
And then there’s the way the story itself plays out. Completely divergent from history as it is, it does tell an engaging story about two women vying for the favor of the Queen. It also tells the story of how badly something that could have been a friendship can go when ambitions conflict and paranoia sets in. The twists and turns are a fun (and, at times, bizarre) ride. All the dialog manages to feel both anachronistic and perfectly at home in the period at the same time. (You’d think it would be nominated for the original screenplay Oscar… oh, wait, it was.)
What’s most interesting, perhaps, is that this is a film where the women rule. Literally and figuratively. Colman, Stone, and Weisz are front and center in just about every scene. All the mail characters are secondary by a mile and, more often than not, are foppish, comedy relief, and (narratively) very often thinking they’re in charge when they are obviously not.
All of this is kind of epitomized in the duck scene when the leader of the Torries (all decked out in his courtly finest) is sitting on a couch next to the leader of the Whigs (in slightly less ridiculous looking finery) who is holding his prize duck, which just won an impromptu race. Silly, yet still completely believable/ (And possibly more historically accurate than other parts of the movie? I don’t know.)
The Verdict
Definitely give this one a try. It may not sit well with you for numerous reasons, especially if you’re an actual history buff. It’s quirky and weird, and has a surreal and kind of depressing ending (especially for something that walks the line between comedy and drama so often).
I’m glad I got around to watching it. Emma Stone continues to be impressive. The entire cast is amazing. The story is engaging. And visually, visually it’s something unique.
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