Period piece films are difficult to make in this day and age, being well worn territory for the medium. The Favourite has been at least partially compared to Stanley Kubrick's slow and cynical Barry Lyndon, one of his few movies not generally considered a classic (but, as is common for Kubrick's less watched films, is far better than you've heard). Barry Lyndon has never been considered the pinnacle of the genre - films like Amadeus generally get that designation, and I can't blame them - but it's easily the most committed to realism these period pieces ever get, with a style of shot composition copped many times by many other films. The film used natural light and candle light almost entirely outside of a few key scenes, unheard of at the time and requiring a special lens and camera to pull off. The film also created the "portrait" style of shot composition where each shot aspired to capture what looked like a Victorian painting. A few zoom shots not withstanding (and even those used in a tasteful way), Kubrick's film wanted to hide the camera as much as possible. Static shots and dolly shots framing the action similar to paintings of the time is virtually standardized within the genre, the way action films often use handheld camera work to elicit a sense of chaos and tension. The Favourite, playing into the famous dark comedy of director Yorgos Lanthimos, bucks these trends and finally reintroduces creativity into the genre.
Though he has received a lot of praise, I have never loved Yorgos Lanthimos. Dogtooth felt like what I imagine "Lars Von Trier does comedy" would feel like (for what it is worth, he did do a comedy called The Boss of it All, and it was weird), and The Lobster ebbed back and forth from incredibly funny to annoyingly coy and strange, saved mostly for me in its ending. I appreciate Lanthimos' odd mixture of Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Lars Von Trier, and maybe even a hint of Napoleon Dynamite here and there, but largely his works have felt a bit more dissonant than effective for me. Lanthimos' films are, first and foremost, experiences, with their analogies being present but sometimes oddly in contrast with the emotions I feel throughout his films. The Favourite feels like he has finally tried to reign those elements in, slightly, for something a bit more palatable for the general public, and has given me a reason to revisit his earlier films. His comedy is still present, albeit with a more realistic context, and he has reigned in virtually none of his creative camera work and editing, which makes The Favourite stand out as something unique for the genre.
The Favourite takes place during the reign of Queen Anne of England in the first decade of the 18th century, a reign that lasted all of seven years and was wrought with war with the French (this is pre-20th century England we are talking about, after all). Anne's closest friend and confidant is Sarah, who is essentially running the war for the Queen while also making certain political moves for herself. Sarah has a unique hold on the Queen, able to berate her "for her betterment", as the Queen is implied to feel, but in doing so keeps Queen Anne in a perpetual state of childishness. The relationship between these two women feels immediately toxic, colored extremely well by magnificent performances by both Olivia Coleman as Queen Anne (who won an oscar for the role) and Rachel Weisz as Sarah. The war is going relatively well, a particularly important battle having already been won, and the opposition party to the Queen attempts to make a bid for sending a peace treaty to the French. Sarah, for one reason or another, wants the war to continue, and so a constant tit-for-tat political battle for the Queen's decision making quickly erupts between the two. The conflict is exasperated when Sarah's cousin, Abigail, a Lady whose father ran the family into the ground, comes to vie for a job. Abigail quickly makes it from maid to close friend to the Queen, spurring a bitter rivalry between the cousins for Anne's affection and trust.
The Favourite paints all of this with exceptional skill in the first half hour or so, with many other twists and conflicts to come as the film passes through its surprisingly well paced 2 hours. Lanthimos shows exceptional skill in using surrealist editing and shot composition to make us aware of the camera work, to shatter the sterility that has been on trend since Barry Lyndon in favor of something with far more life and wit. The battle between the cousins never debases itself to petty squabbling, rather peeling away layers of each and their intentions as the conflicts mount on the sly, keeping you on your toes for some time as to their intentions, though by the final third you've probably drawn some conclusions. The performances all around are electrifying and complex, worthy of a rewatch that I feel may heighten the score seen below. Surprisingly, the general premise of the film is based on actually true events, albeit with heavy rearranging of facts or outright omitting them (Queen Anne's husband, for example, would have been alive during most of this film's timeline, and one core element to the plot is speculative at best, downright incorrect at worst based off of historian understanding), but these changes serve the film better than reality would.
Lanthimos may have converted me into a fan with The Favourite, a skillfully made and acted film that is as dry and darkly funny as it is a poignant drama, a film firing on so many cylinders it is honestly shocking. It is a film I didn't just enjoy immensely, but a film I eagerly look forward to rewatching in the future. The film's ending, surreal and effective, will linger with me for a little while even as its point was blunt and obvious. The film's writing, by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, is equally skilled, creating a subtle character piece out of something relatively traditional (minus one or two things, obviously if you've seen the film). The Favourite is all skill, effective and lingering. A stellar film with more to it than meets the eye.
8.5
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