The Favourite has a pretty apt name, since it’s currently one of the front-runners for every award going. Directed by the terminally weird and utterly brilliant Yorgos Lanthimos, the trailer makes the film look every bit as amazing as the early reviews say it is.
Olivia Colman stars as Queen Anne, the frail, slightly mad ruler of a regency empire that she barely knows anything about. Rachel Weisz is the de facto queen whenever Anne is in a bad mood, and Emma Stone shows up as her servant. As in Lanthimos’ other films though (The Lobster, Dogtooth, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer) we can expect things to get much odder than the real-life history lesson being taught – and the real joy here is going to be seeing three of the best actresses around matched with one of the most creative, original directors still working.
The official synopsis makes the film sound slightly more conventional than it looks:
Early 18th century. England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne’s ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen’s companion. Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfil her ambitions and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
The Favourite is out on January 1st.
