For the first review of this year I’ll be taking a look at what I consider to be one of the finest examples of filmmaking of the previous year, Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist dark comedy “The Favourite”. I think that for the first time a Lanthimos film has gotten everybody in the film criticism world talking, putting it on their end of the year list and many tipping it off as one of the contenders for the coming Academy Awards. While the usual Oscar chatter mostly include baity, formulaic, uninspiring and, quite frankly, undeserving pictures (and there are a quite few of those this year too), I can honestly say that I am truly glad that Lanthimos is finally getting the recognition he deserves. While his previous film, 2017’s “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” was good in its own right but in truth I was left expecting more, his latest effort not only met my expectations (which were already very high to begin with), but it even surpassed them.

“The Favourite” is set in 18th century England during the reign of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). The country finds itself at war against France, but the queen doesn’t seem to be interested in the campaign, so all the responsibility of leading the war effort falls to her adviser and cousin, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz). Sarah uses her position and through various means controls Anne, but always with the best interest of the english people in her mind. The picture might seem unusual, but it works for the most part, that is until the status quo is interrupted by the arrival of Abigail (Emma Stone), Sarah’s cousin, who starts off as a maiden but soon starts getting close to the queen, endangering Sarah’s position as the queen’s favourite confidant.

There’s a lot that can be said about this film. Every single aspect worked in unison with the others, there wasn’t one single note that was missed or an element that failed or felt out of place. Let’s start with one of the brightest highlights: the acting. I really consider this to be one of the best cast, best acted films of last year. Recent Oscar winner Emma Stone puts on a performance like we’ve never seen her before, embracing the dark und duplicitous nature of her character, a complete departure to what we’ve come accostumed to from the actress. Rachel Weisz is also fantastic, perhaps even better than Stone, in that her performance is more subdued and nuanced, though perhaps that lies in how the characters are written rather than on the performers. However, it was Olivia Colman that really blew my mind with her performance as Queen Anne, and that is no easy feat considering the actesses she had to share the screen with. I really hope she gets the Oscar (please don’t give it to Gaga). Then there’s Nicholas Hoult, who seems to be somewhat overshadowed by his female co-stars, and while there’s really no sense in wondering why is that, since all of Colman, Weisz and Stone give award worthy performances, I feel Hoult also deserves at least a mention.

Now let’s talk about the screenplay. Man, the screenplay. In the best original writing category it must come up against other wonderful sripts such as “First Reformed”, “Sorry to Bother You” and “Isle of Dogs”, but really this one deserves to take the cake. This was the first time that Lanthimos directed a film based on a script not written by himself, and this formula surprisingly works perfectly, perhaps even better than if he’d in fact written it (its pure speculation though, I’m basing myself on TKOAD here). The three main characters are all fascinating in their own ways. Their arcs, their conflicts, their dynamics, it all serves as the core to this period piece, but unlike other movies of the genre “The Favourite” goes out of its way to shed a light into these characters. It is more art house in the sense that it is character driven. The dialogues are sharp, witty and perfectly executed by the performers, and the dark humour works extremely well with a narrative full of madness and betrayal. And the ending, the very last scene: without revealing much I’m just gonna say that that was one of the very best final scenes I saw in 2018.

On the technical level this film is nothing short of perfect. The cinematography is definitely something to marvel at. It pushes the boundaries of convention and goes for an unusual effect that is really out there, it embraces the film’s art house sensibilities and goes for something very outside of the box, and yet this doesn’t alienate the viewer because it contributes to all the madness that is unfolding on the screen. The lighting felt a little too bright at certain scenes, which is ironic because I was expecting the exact opposite thing, but that in no way detracts from the film’s overall quality. The art direction, set and costume design are excellent as well, but that’s something we’ve come to expect from period pieces to a certain degree. Yet, it was probably the music that really took things to the next level: comprised of classical pieces from masters like Schubert, Schumann and Vivaldi, mashed together with more modern composers such as Luc Ferrari and Anna Meredith, just to finish up with a Elton John during the closing credits, the soundtrack might be one of the best of the year.

If you haven’t inferred already from my review, I really loved this movie. Ever since I saw “Dogtooth” (2009) for the first time I’ve considered Lanthimos to be one of the best directors working today and truly one of the few auteurs in an era where movies are being chunked out like factory products and true authorship seems to be in decline. While I still consider the aforementioned “Dogtooth” to be his masterpiece, I’d say “The Favourite” definitely surpasses “Sacred Deer” and edges out “The Lobster” by a slight margin. I’m really rooting for this film at the Oscars, though its chances are pretty slim (if they go with Cuarón’s “Roma” I wouldn’t be mad at all, but if they go with Bradley Cooper and “A Star is Born” then we’ll have an issue). We have a new frontrunner for the top spot of my favourite movies of the year (and yes, that pun was intended).

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. I wasn’t intending on doing a review on his film so soon into the new year, but it kind of turned out like that. I know I’ve been teasing since last year about a certain post that I’ve been planning for a while, sadly I haven’t gotten around to writing it, but because I want to take my time and give it the special treatment it deserves. I won’t tell you what it is, but I will tell you it is about a book, a boot about film. So yeah, expect that in the coming weeks, hopefully before my final list and the Oscar nominations. So anyway, if you liked this review please consider leaving a like and sharing it with your friends and family, and if you want to stay up to date with more film related content don’t forget to hit the follow button. Until next time!