“The Favourite” immediately pulls you into its distinct storytelling style, leaving you questioning who truly holds the power and what drives their actions. Set in early 18th-century England, the film features Emma Stone as Abigail, Rachel Weisz as Lady Sarah and Olivia Colman as Queen Anne. All three delivered acclaimed performances, with each earning an Academy Award nomination and Colman securing the win for Best Actress in 2019. The film ended its award season with a total of 10 nominations — a testament to the movie’s significance.
During the press tour for “The Favourite,” director Yorgos Lanthimos told The Hollywood Reporter at the New York Film Festival premiere that “some of the things in the film are accurate and a lot aren’t.” I love how Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara’s screenplay blends factual events with fictional twists that leave you guessing. One of Lanthimos’s most prominent talents is his ability to blend realistic worlds with bizarre undertones, as portrayed in his other films like “Poor Things” and “Kinds of Kindness.”
This mix of truth and fiction is an important aspect of the screenplay. Davis and McNamara’s screenplay highlights the unique dynamic between two women competing for the affection of Queen Anne. Lady Sarah and Queen Anne share a complex bond with one another, but Lady Sarah always seems to be in control of their relationship. Their secretive and passionate relationship is suddenly disrupted when Abigail arrives at the palace, setting off a fierce battle for the queen’s favor. Abigail makes a memorable entrance — face-planting from a carriage into the mud. She begins pleading to her cousin, Lady Sarah, for a job at the palace and ends up becoming a servant.
Abigail, unsatisfied with her position, works to win over Queen Anne by using her wit, seduction and manipulation. She eventually gains the queen’s attention and becomes more desirable to the queen than Lady Sarah. Abigail’s sudden attention from the queen creates an intense rivalry between the two for the love and affection of Queen Anne; the story unfolds from there.
The key components to the experience are the snappy dialogue, wickedly entertaining performances and cinematography. This is exemplified when Weisz’s character dramatically admits to Colman, “You look like a badger,” or when the film employs fish-eye camera shots.
All these components help create something timeless. I remember feeling so impressed and wondering what I will think many years in the future. I feel as though it will age well and that it has the potential to become a classic, witty period piece. The film’s feeling is similar to that of “Marie Antoinette” and “The Great,” considering they both take place around the 18th century in palaces and use witty humor to drive the plot.
Lanthimos and Stone are dominating as unique collaborators in Hollywood; each project they work on is fascinating and distinct. I love this signature cinematic category and hope to see “The Favourite” cement its legacy as an iconic film.
