Not all prestige, Oscar-season fare has to be so serious. Case in point: The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthimoss bleak and wonderful little palace intrigue comedy, which screened here in Telluride this weekend. Cleverly written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite is a kind of sapphic Dangerous Liaisons, without all the melodrama. Wicked and witty, its probably Lanthimoss most accessible film to date, despite its peculiarities and period setting.
Its the early 18th century in The Favourite, and a grieving, gout-ridden Queen Anne rules England with the steadfast help of her vizier, a conniver called Lady Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. The ladys husband is in command of the Queens army while theyre at war with France (when wasnt England at war with France back then?) and as the Queens righthand woman is essentially in charge of the country. (With deference to Parliament, of course.) All is going Sarahs way until a cousin, Abigail, arrives at court, cast from her high station because of her fathers gambling and looking for work. Its clear from the get-go that Abigail has more in mind for herself than mere scullery drudgery, and its the great game of The Favourite watching Abigail scheme and Sarah try to fend her off in a mad, few-holds-barred scramble for the Queens affections.
Lanthimos has cast his film beautifully. Rachel Weisz, who starred in Lanthimoss The Lobster, plays Sarah with a dark edge that doesnt exclude humanity. Sarahs relationship with Anne is strategic, yes, but theres something genuine there, a true lifelong partnership that Sarah seems to value for more than just its advantages. Weisz is so good at that seeming contradiction, a cold calculation met, at times, with a hint of warmth.
As Abigail, Emma Stone is a sly delight, managing an accent and the scripts complicated cadence deftly. Ive always thought of her as strictly a contemporary actress—she didnt exactly read 1960s in The Help, somehow—but she proves that assumption quite wrong in The Favourite. Shes arch and nimble and spars adeptly with her formidable co-stars. Her performance makes me want to see her Viola, or maybe her Beatrice to, hell, Rachel Weiszs Benedick.
Quite fittingly, though, its Olivia Colman, as loopy Queen Anne, who reigns supreme. Colmans long been a lauded television staple, but now finally gets a big, juicy film role to tear into. She does so with aplomb, crafting an Anne whos pitiable and pathetic, a needy, lovelorn wreck whos nonetheless capable of great wrath. She is the Queen, after all, so shes not entirely helpless. Colmans is also a terrific physical performance, as she flops and hobbles around, especially after Anne suffers a debilitating stroke. I hear tell in these mountains that Fox Searchlight is fixing to run her in the lead category for awards consideration—which, fair enough, shes one of the films three leads. But I think shed be a near lock to win if they decided to commit a bit of category fraud and place her in supporting. Well see.
Anyway, awards are not the point. The point is that The Favourite is such a good time, and that its heartening, despite all the backstabbing and subterfuge going on, to watch a courtly period piece like this that centers so totally on women. Yes, theyre being catty and cruel and manipulative, but bully to them for it! The Favourite is refreshing in its sexual politics, never scolding or shaming any of the trio for how sex plays a central role in their lives. The film aims for some titillation, but not in a leering way. Sex is had autonomously, with full agency—even if it is, at times, used as a weapon or a bargaining chip.
Lanthimos has provided an ornate stage for all this ribaldry. He may use a fish-eye lens a few too many times, but otherwise I love his freewheeling camera work (Robbie Ryan did the cinematography), making the world of the film feel alternately claustrophobic and expansive, the palace an entire, constricting ecosystem. Fiona Crombies production design and the legendary Sandy Powells costume work are also exquisite, playful and vivid but not goofy.
The Favourite is a pleasure to watch. Its weird without being alienating, dirty without being cheap. And youd be hard-pressed to find a better acting trio this fall. What fun The Favourite is, while still striking a few resonantly melancholy chords here and there. Lanthimos has made a film one could almost call commercial, and yet he hasnt lost his signature idiosyncrasy. Hes only expanded his repertoire, with the help of three inspired muses.
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