The Favourite is an intriguing take on the true story of two cousins vying to be the court favourite during Queen Anne's reign in early 18th century England. The premise is interesting enough to question why this three-way power struggle was never brought to life in mainstream media before, but as Queen Anne's reign only lasted 12 years, this is a but a small fraction of England's history.
Starring Olivia Colman, with Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone in supporting roles, The Favourite is a fresh take on the period drama, combining English History with the Alice in Wonderland stories. Colman, in her role as Queen Anne, has one of the more humanised royal performances I have come across in a long time. Here is a queen that suffers from crippling gout, anxiety, self-doubt, and enough emotional pain to introduce madness into her personality and mannerisms; like a grounded version of the Red Queen from the Alice in Wonderland books. Part of her losses is visually portrayed by the presence of 17 rabbits, which are frequently used as plot devices and become relevant in a more metaphorical sense as the film progresses.
Rachel Weisz plays Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, who is the incumbent favourite whose position is threatened by the introduction of her cousin, Abigail Hill (portrayed by Emma Stone). With a Queen that is imbalanced and pained, who is heavily reliant on her court, the position of court favourite comes with much power. And thus the power struggle between these three women commences.
The film has some beautiful environments that are slightly skewed thanks to some choices in styles, using many wide-angle fisheye shots that are curved at the edges, creating warped and distorted visuals, that add to the uncomfortable nature of following the constant stream of manipulative actions. The sound effects and score in the film also add to this anxiety with repeated audial cues like that of a loud heartbeat and the merging of audio from different scenes into one. All adding to the feeling of distortion and manipulation.
Colman does a brilliant job pulling off the role in a convincing manner, but the only other aspect of the film that brings it to greatness is the writing and deadpan acting from Weisz and Stone. Their motives and emotions remain hidden throughout the film. Frequently changing attitude and tact, what is genuine or deceit is a mystery, which draws you in as you try to determine who you want to succeed.
The Favourite does feel rather long, with a runtime of two hours, and this is exaggerated by the way in which it is split into eight chapters. It certainly could have done with having 20 minutes shaved off from its total length, but it does well to keep the audience engaged as it is.
Overall, The Favourite is an absorbing story of power, deception, delusion, and exploitation. Slightly cumbersome by the conclusion yet impressively arresting nonetheless.
Rachel Weisz plays Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, who is the incumbent favourite whose position is threatened by the introduction of her cousin, Abigail Hill (portrayed by Emma Stone). With a Queen that is imbalanced and pained, who is heavily reliant on her court, the position of court favourite comes with much power. And thus the power struggle between these three women commences.
The film has some beautiful environments that are slightly skewed thanks to some choices in styles, using many wide-angle fisheye shots that are curved at the edges, creating warped and distorted visuals, that add to the uncomfortable nature of following the constant stream of manipulative actions. The sound effects and score in the film also add to this anxiety with repeated audial cues like that of a loud heartbeat and the merging of audio from different scenes into one. All adding to the feeling of distortion and manipulation.
Colman does a brilliant job pulling off the role in a convincing manner, but the only other aspect of the film that brings it to greatness is the writing and deadpan acting from Weisz and Stone. Their motives and emotions remain hidden throughout the film. Frequently changing attitude and tact, what is genuine or deceit is a mystery, which draws you in as you try to determine who you want to succeed.
The Favourite does feel rather long, with a runtime of two hours, and this is exaggerated by the way in which it is split into eight chapters. It certainly could have done with having 20 minutes shaved off from its total length, but it does well to keep the audience engaged as it is.
Overall, The Favourite is an absorbing story of power, deception, delusion, and exploitation. Slightly cumbersome by the conclusion yet impressively arresting nonetheless.