“The Favourite”– Movie Review

On the opening night of The 56th New York Film Festival, I attended a screening of the new historical drama, “The Favourite” starring Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. 

Synopsis

When an ambitious young woman is hired to be a maid for The Queen Of England, she tries to supplant the Queen’s personal assistant – but if she succeeds, at what cost?

Story

In the early 18th century, England was fighting The War Of The Spanish Succession.  This war took its toll on the country’s resources, especially financially.  That’s why Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) was so eager to raise taxes – the country needed to find ways to fund its war, largely at the expense of its citizenry.  Crucial in The Queen’s efforts was her long-time trusted aide, Lady Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough (Weisz).  But Lady Sarah could not be entirely objective when it came to this issue because it was her husband who was leading England’s military. 

It is around this time that Abigail (Stone) applies for a job working at the palace.  Abigail should not have been destined for this; she started out her life as Lady Abigail, born into privilege.  However, when Abigail’s father lost his money, that life of privilege soon vanished and she was forced to live in poverty.  Partially out of pity and partially because Abigail’s father was a distant relative of hers, Lady Sarah takes pity on her and hires Abigail to work as a scullery maid.  Grateful for any opportunity – no matter how unsuited she may have been for the position – Abigail immediately accepts. 

Before long, Queen Anne falls ill and it is Abigail who comes to her aid doing a stellar job in caring for Her Highness.  When Lady Sarah sees that The Queen is growing quite fond of Abigail, she becomes rather jealous and wants to fire her.  But Abigail has the goods on both Lady Sarah and Queen Anne – she accidentally becomes aware of the fact that they have a sexual relationship.  In order to gain her trust and secure her own job, Abigail, too, offers herself to The Queen.  Gradually, Abigail finds that she is taking Lady Sarah’s place.  But can Lady Sarah stop this before she finds herself out of a job?     

Review

Ho-hum.  “The Favourite” is your typical lesbian-centric period piece focused on palace intrigue.  Wait, what?  Don’t be fooled by the fact that its genre is listed as “drama” because much of it is wonderfully hilarious. This delightful movie is just so deliciously wicked that you’ll want to bring your friends to a subsequent viewing; the curators of The New York Film Festival at The Film Society Of Lincoln Center have picked the perfect film to kick-off this year’s festival.  Although all the lead characters are women, this is a motion picture men will enjoy because it can be compared to climbing the corporate ladder.

Thematically, “The Favourite” seems to be saying that while ambition can sometimes be a good thing, it can be very dangerous when unchecked.  Or, to put it a bit more simply, “Be careful what you wish for because you may just get it”.  Ambition is partly what got Lady Sarah into the position she holds with Queen Anne, but it is also what drives her to keep Abigail in her place as a mere scullery maid.  It is the fact that Abigail can see Lady Sarah’s ambition that is an ingredient of what drives her to want to be Sarah’s replacement.  It should not be overlooked, however, that it is also Abigail’s own ambition that serves as her own motivating force.  

What shines through, aside from the clever storytelling by director Yorgos Lanthimos, is the acting.  Based on the performances in “The Favourite”, the cast appeared to have an incredibly clear vision of precisely who these characters were and what each wanted either in life or in any given moment.  Whether that can be attributed to Lanthimos or the screenplay or a combination of the two, it’s hard to say.  But as with any motion picture, its end result is a collaboration of various and sundry skills and talents by a collection of people.  There is no better example of that than in “The Favourite”.