The Favourite


This is an unusual film: it’s a lot like the Sofia Coppola version of Marie Antoinette, a film that had a period setting but a punk aesthetic. Nothing so blatant here, but The Favourite is quite sweary (“strong language” says the BBFC card), quite perverted (“strong sex”) and just… odd.

It’s getting attention now because of the Awards Season. Olivia Coleman stars as Queen Anne, whose health is failing as she supervises a waning conflict with France and battling her Parliament and he failing health. She favours Lady Sarah (Rachel Weitz) - a long time friend who seems to be running the country as Anne battles with gout. And then, a formerly aristocratic woman who has fallen on hard times shows up at court. She is Abigail, and Emma Stone is triumphant in the role.

The tone of the film is utterly serious, or so it seems, but it gets a little weird fairly quickly—a bit Madness of King George, but then the first c-word. Abigail and Sarah become friends—they bond partly over pigeon shooting amongst other things but Abigail is ever conscious of her status and standing as she fends off various men around the court (“Oh look, a wren—how cute!”)

It is this tone and the intensity of the story that’s no doubt brought the best out of the three leading performances here. And whilst surprised laughter is fine for a while, eventually there’s just a lot of palace politics along with duck-racing and even throwing fruit at a naked man… The weird chapter structure and Harpsicord and orchestra score creates a sense of gravitas and history that jars with the tone of the film - and then there’s the weird monotone note that goes on for ages: very modern. And this is certainly the intention of the director, Yorgos Yanthimos, who doesn’t set the context of the film at all. So it is not a conventional historical drama, even if it is based on evidence… although you’d have to know about Queen Anne to answer that one.

This is definitely peak Olivia Coleman and it’s possibly Emma Stone’s best film as well. And there is much to admire in all other aspects of the film—some of the wit is of first class quality, but the majority of the film has an oddness that’s difficult to dismiss. And some people love that!

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