The Favourite

The Favourite

Starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

The Story:
While Britain is at war with France in 1708, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is more concerned with the care of her rabbits than getting personally involved, leaving decisions to her longtime friend Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), who favors war with no surrender.  Although receiving negative feedback from Earl of Oxford Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), Sarah presses on with the war effort.

Meanwhile, Sarah's cousin Abigail Hill (Emma Stone) arrives seeking employment, and after tending to the Queen's gout, finds favor with both the Queen and Sarah, earning the title of Sarah's lady-in-waiting.  While at first she's content with being nice and honest, Abigail soon begins thirsting power, and after uncovering a secret affair between Anne and Sarah, sets out to become the Queen's favourite, leading to an intense power struggle between Abigail and Sarah where only one woman can come out on top.

The Synopsis:
I absolutely adore period piece films, because I've always been infatuated with history.  From the costumes to the castles and manners of speaking, films like this have always had a soft spot in my heart.  So when famed director Yorgos Lanthimos (of "The Lobster" and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" fame) came out with his masterwork "The Favourite," I couldn't wait to see it, and it didn't disappoint.  Not only was it a beautifully shot film with exquisite costumes and a lavish castle, but the film was also heightened by three leading ladies in their most powerful roles to date, actresses who have already received Golden Globe acclaim and will undoubtedly hear the knocking of Oscar on their door shortly.

The film follows the real-life tale of three powerful women in British government in the early 1700s, and the power struggle the three fight between to maintain balance and stability.  At the head is Queen Anne, a reclusive woman who battles gout and has suffered tremendous loss (including the loss of seventeen children), and who's also fiery, eccentric, and prone to random outbursts.  While she has the title of Queen, she doesn't seem to want or desire it, and instead leaves most of her governing duties to her friend and trusted confidant Sarah.

Sarah Churchill (who is in fact related to the famed Winston Churchill, as well as Princess Diana) is a conniving, sharp-witted woman who desires nothing but power, and more power.  As the voice of the Queen, she favors full-on war with the French, believing Britain to be the best country of them all, and won't accept anything but total annihilation.  She claims to love the Queen (in more ways than one), but her motives are always in question, and she keeps her cards very close to the vest.  She holds the Queen's power with an iron fist, until the arrival of her cousin Abigail.

Abigail Hill is herself a girl of noble stature, even though she was sold by her father to pay off gambling debts, and was raised in a brothel.  She's shy, quiet, unassuming and polite, who sees the positive in everything and everyone, and just wants to better herself in life.  When she arrives at the castle, she's put to work as a scullery maid, but after finding herbs to help the Queen's gout, becomes Sarah's lady-in-waiting.  Becoming privy to the inner workings of the palace - as well as the seedy activities that take place within its walls - she starts desiring power herself, and sets out to become the favourite of the Queen - even though she knows that's what Sarah also wishes for.

It's this triangle that holds the film together, and even though a triangle is the most sturdy geometric shape, it serves as the most sandy foundation imaginable for these three women.  As Sarah and Abigail fight for the Queen's affections, they both go to great lengths to one-up the other, which turns both women into pure power-hungry mistresses.  It's more than fascinating to see play out, and thanks to Lanthimos's perfect directing, an absolute wonder to behold.

A film like this rises or falls on its main cast, and thankfully Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz more than rise to the occasion, delivering three of the best female-led performances of the year.  Colman shines as Queen Anne, giving her such an eccentric personality that you can't help but anticipate her next appearance on screen, because you know she'll do something memorable.  Rachel Weisz electrifies the screen as Sarah, who's a no-nonsense woman that craves power above all else, and who would do anything to achieve it.   Yet it's Emma Stone's complete transformation that surpasses them both, giving the already-Oscar-winning actress her meatiest role yet.  She starts the film as a nice, sweet, innocent girl, and by the end we see an extremely ruthless, diabolical side that we never thought we'd see, and that's due to Stone's impeccable acting.

While the film serves as a drama, there's a lot of dark comedy and dry wit to draw laughs from the audience, which also helps permeate through the viewer to achieve something truly transcendent.  There's several awkward moments and odd dialogue that wouldn't match if the film wasn't as darkly comedic as it was, and is just an absolute hoot to see.  It's like a live-action see-saw, with Queen Anne in the center, and Sarah and Abigail on either end trying to rise above the other, and it was a pure joy to witness and anticipate which woman would reign supreme - or if their desire for power would destroy them all.

The Summary:
With three powerful women at the helm, "The Favourite" raises the stakes and provides a thoroughly entertaining period piece and an internal power struggle that's both highly dramatic and humorously entertaining.

The Score: A+