Historical drama and author's style: why you should definitely watch the movie "Favorite"

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

One of the main nominees for the "Oscar" was released - we are talking about his merits and creative style of Yorgos Lanthimos.

It would seem that there are a lot of historical films about any epoch now being released. Among them there are both cruel and frank plots, as well as romantic melodramas and even comedies.

But Yorgos Lanthimos managed to show the story in a unique author's way, and therefore it is more logical to put “Favorite” on a par not with traditional costumed dramas, but with the director's previous works.

Unconventional view of the era

Previously, Lanthimos did not touch on scenes from the past, preferring either realistic or almost fantastic pictures. For example, in the film "Fang" he showed the story of a family living only on the territory of their own home, practically without contact with the outside world.

In Lobster, the director presented a dystopia, where lonely people need to find a mate as soon as possible, otherwise they are turned into animals. And in "Killing a Sacred Deer" the plot seems to be a simple family drama, but then the whole action takes on a mystical connotation.

In The Favorite, Lantimos decided to show the seamy side of the era of beautiful costumes and balls, inviting all romantic-minded people to take a look at how life actually went in the 18th century.

So, one of the main characters Abigail (Emma Stone) appears in the palace all smeared with mud: she was pushed out of the carriage by a playful companion. The servants are raped here, not at all embarrassed by strangers, and they do not know how to treat diseases at all.

And in the center of everything, Queen Anne, almost distraught and no longer able to move without assistance. Formally, she still rules the state, but in fact, decisions have long been made by her favorite Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz). The queen herself looks just pathetic.

Olivia Colman is amazingly accustomed to the image of the monarch. If you think about it, her character should be disliked. But an excellent acting game makes you sympathize with a sick person who simply does not notice that everyone is lying around. Likewise, she does not realize that Abigail is getting close to her only to get a place at court.

The era, which they are used to portraying as beautiful and graceful, in Lanthimos's film is shown as a time of filth, meanness and intrigue. The favorites are fighting to death for a place closer to the queen, not forgetting about romances on the side, politicians think only about their own advantage and use personal connections. And Anna herself, like a symbol of fading power, looks at what is happening with the eyes of a stupid child.

Non-standard shooting

Visually, the films of Yorgos Lanthimos cannot be confused with the work of other directors. In the era of computer effects and complex processing, he continues to adhere to the principle of maximum naturalism.

In early films, this can be explained by small budgets: the independent Greek director simply did not have the opportunity to shoot otherwise. But the author did not change his approach in Lobster, where famous Hollywood actors appeared.

As a result, most of the film was shot in natural light, and the leading actors were not made up to show what they really look like.

Lanthimos also gave the actors the opportunity to think out their own images on their own. This is how Colin Farrell got his weird mustache and hairstyle.

Lobster

Lobster

"Favorite" embodies exactly the same approach, which is again unusual for a historical film, which is often made as bright as possible. But Lanthimos also shoots night scenes in real darkness. Only torches and candles that can be seen in the frame give light.

Sometimes this makes the picture difficult to read, but it allows you to understand how everything looked in reality. And the fall of one of the heroines from the side of the road perfectly illustrates reality.

This approach has affected indoor filming. To faithfully convey the setting of the palace, the film was filmed in the real estate Hatfield House, where Edward VI and Elizabeth I once lived.

But if you understand the filming technology a little, it becomes clear: the width of the corridors of a real estate would force the director to shoot only very short shots so that the camera would follow the people walking. Therefore, the premises in the pavilions are made much wider than necessary.

However, Lanthimos takes a different path here too. He, as before, shoots long shots, simply using a wide-angle lens. Because of this, when the camera turns sharply in a large hall, you can feel dizziness: the distortion at the edges creates a strong flicker.

The soundtrack either actually sounds in the plot itself - for example, someone is sitting at the harpsichord or an orchestra is playing in the garden - or it is reduced to monotonous minimalism. The author does not overload the action with sound, adding it only at the most necessary moments.

But one should not think that "Favorite" because of this loses all the beauty of the historical era. Individual shots from the film can be admired for a long time. Beautiful costumes and tapestries are complemented by graceful images of actresses, while devoid of bright makeup. Emma Stone's face looks much more natural than in many other films.

And when one of the heroines gets a scar, a beautiful ribbon appears on her face. Lanthimos knows how to find beauty in disgusting. Conversely, it can add unpleasant realism to aesthetic footage.

Non-standard relationships

In his films, Yorgos Lantimos often shows very non-standard human relationships, and sometimes they are on the verge of acceptable. In the film "The Alps" he talked about people who for a fee "replace" the families of the deceased relatives: they talk about ordinary topics, have dinner, go to the cinema together.

In Lobster, the characters tried to find a mate, while getting rid of sexual attraction. But, perhaps, the most provocative was "Fang", where in an isolated family the parents called their son a prostitute, and then even insisted on incest.

To avoid accusations of immorality, the director places his characters in fictional worlds and sets. It also applies to historical films in the same way. Lanthimos deliberately turned to the history of not the most popular queen in order to leave himself room for imagination.

"Favorite" is not quite a historical movie. This is fictional fiction, which is based on real events, but does not pretend to be a verbatim retelling.

Lanthimos put in the center of the plot not only the relationship of Anna and her mistresses, but also the era of patriarchy, in which the queen was able to surround herself with strong women. The matter is not limited to the closeness of the naive ruler with the favorites.

The relationship of the heroines is very difficult to develop. After all, at first, poor Abigail is brought to court by Sarah, the Duchess of Marlborough. The husband of the latter at this time went to war, while she herself shares bed with the queen and makes political decisions. Abigail, flirting with Anna, does not forget to build her own future and is looking for a successful marriage.

This is not a love triangle, but a much more complex figure with a considerable number of participants. As in dancing at a ball, they regularly change places, and then they themselves begin to get confused about where to move.

Non-standard mixing of genres

An unusual visual style is associated with the presentation itself. "The Favorite", like the previous films of Lanthimos, evokes many different emotions when viewed.

He does not shoot pure cruelty or body horror, where the viewer has to frown all the time from unpleasant shots. And in the same way, he does not lean towards melodrama or romantic comedy, which only cause tears and a smile.

All the same "Lobster" with a dark plot fell into the lists of the best comedies. And there really is something to laugh at: a strange dystopia looks absurdly ridiculous, and the characters do stupid things. From previous works completely devoid of humor, except that "The Killing of a Sacred Deer."

"Favorite" continues this trend. There are a lot of funny things in this movie. There are also text jokes - the rivals often tease each other. And there are also moments of outright farce, up to a banal fall into the mud and a blow between the legs of an unlucky gentleman.

Lanthimos' sexuality and explicit scenes are shown with deliberate realism, almost always devoid of grace. This prevents the action from deviating into unnecessary eroticism and again reminds of the realities of the era.

And it is not even always possible to notice how the funny turns into unpleasant, which, in turn, is replaced by drama and tragedy. So, the scene where fruits are thrown at a naked fat man is edited in parallel with a very gloomy moment.

And this happens throughout the whole picture: the funny is replaced by the gloomy, the beautiful is repulsive. This approach also reflects the ambiguity of characters. There is no division into good and evil, just everyone does what he thinks is right.

Therefore, after watching "Favorite" leaves a very strange impression. There is a lot of humor in it, and the film can be perceived as entertaining. At the same time, the historical era with all its shortcomings is well and frankly shown.

And underneath it all are deep personal dramas. And, first of all, the story of a weak queen who sincerely believed that at least someone loved her honestly and disinterestedly.