I've always held Yorgos Lanthimos's films at a distance, because I've always mentally put them into the category of shock cinema. The extent of the onscreen brutality always struck me as a little distasteful and gratuitous, no matter how artfully done it was. That said, I've watched every one of his films since "Dogtooth," because Lanthimos is clearly talented, and willing to go to places that few other filmmakers care to venture. And it's because of this that "The Favourite," his first film that he didn't write or originate the concept for, turned out to be something very special.
At first glance, "The Favourite" looks like a typical British costume drama. In the early 18th century, Great Britain's Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is in poor health, but persists with waging an unpopular war against France. This is largely due to the influence of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), the Queen's close friend who runs the royal household and controls access to her. Sarah's cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), a poor relation down on her luck, arrives at the palace looking for work and is allowed to become a scullery maid. She works her way up through the ranks, thanks in part to her dealings with Sarah's political rival Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), and wins the attentions and affections of the Queen.
And in the hands of Lanthimos and his collaborators, the way this all plays out is absolutely vicious, hilarious, and tragic. While the court of Queen Anne isn't as existentially horrific as some of the worlds Lanthimos has dreamed up for his other films, it's still a nasty sort of place, populated by awful people. Every single character is prone to sudden bursts of physical and emotional violence. The dialogue is full of anachronistic vulgarities and blunt discussions of sex. Absurd entertainments, like a duck race and a scene where fruit is hurled at a cavorting naked man, are lovingly presented in slow motion. The filmmaking also accentuates the satire - fisheye lenses and rapid pans make the grandly decorated sets look warped and the characters seem trapped.
The biggest departure form the Lanthimos milieu here is that the main characters are fully human rather than allegorical, and often quite sympathetic, in spite of their behavior. All three lead actresses are phenomenal. Olivia Colman delivers the lynchpin performance as Queen Anne, a miserable, lonely woman who can't be certain that anyone genuinely cares for her. Rachel Weisz's domineering Sarah is easy to hate, until you realize that in spite of her cruelty and ambition, she's the most honest and principled of the lot. Finally, Abigail's transformation from perpetual victim into power player gives Emma Stone the opportunity to deliver some of the best comedy of her career. The male supporting characters are also a lot of fun, particularly Nicholas Hoult being a magnificent rat bastard.
I imagine that some of the fans of the director's previous films might see "The Favourite" as watered down Lanthimos, but I find it easily his most mature and watchable picture to date. All of his usual hallmarks are here, but they're tempered by being put in the service of telling what is often a very intimate and emotionally grounded story. The power struggle between Sarah and Abigail is handled with care, and the depiction of poor Queen Anne is instantly iconic. It's great to see Lanthimos is capable of doing this kind of subtler character drama and being more collaborative with other creatives. At the same time it's a treat to see so many of the old costume drama tropes livened up with so much venom.
I find it very funny that this year's awards season has gone so pear-shaped, and so many of the other pictures have disappointed, that "The Favourite" is somehow a major front-runner in the Oscar race and the least controversial. The actresses are very deserving, especially Olivia Colman, but this is still a dark, weird movie with a bawdy streak and a wicked sense of humor - not your usual prestige pic by a long shot. I hope Yorgos Lanthimos keeps going in this direction and applies his talents to other kinds of stories - I'd love to see him tackle a political comedy next.
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