(4 / 4)
Yorgos Lanthimos has brought to life another devilishly idiosyncratic story, this time tackling the audacious power plays of 18th century royalty. Between the talent behind the camera and the award worthy turns from the trio of actresses at the center, The Favourite is a wickedly original dark comedy and one of the best films of the year.
Around this timeframe each year, moviegoers are inundated with an endless barrage of films seemingly created with the sole intention of garnering awards and thereby bolstering the prestige of respective movie studios. For all their acclaim, these types of movies, coined as “Oscar bait,” often follow by the numbers stories that don’t dare to be original and are often still rewarded for their existence regardless. On the surface, a film such as The Favourite appears to be in this same vein with it being a historical period drama with the usual furnishing such as top-notch cinematography, a memorable soundtrack, as well as impeccable costume and production design. However, it is clear from the moment the characters begin to speak that this diabolically demented historical dramedy is anything but the usual fare up for awards consideration.