The Favourite

This screening took place on Monday, March 18, 2019 at 8:00 pmYukon Arts Centre

Yorgos Lanthimos’s tragicomedy set in the court of Queen Anne boasts daring performances from its three female stars and lashings of lust, intrigue and deceit.

"As the semi-mad queen frivolously spends her days conducting duck races even while her country is in the midst of war with France, her most trusted advisor, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough (a wickedly good Rachel Weisz), and the Duchess’ new servant (Emma Stone) themselves go to war over just who will secure the role of queen’s favourite and, by proxy, exert control over the whole of England… Lanthimos, characteristically, turns the tropes of the powdered-wig period drama upside down, playing what would be taken deadly seriously by other directors for laughs, and delivering comic set-pieces with a solemnly straight face.

Drawing comparisons to both Barry Lyndon, for Robbie Ryan’s (American Honey; I, Daniel Blake) gorgeous cinematography, and Marie Antoinette, for the way it reinvents the period piece for a modern audience, The Favourite continues Lanthimos’ ongoing quest to uphold the Modernist creed and 'make it new!'" - VIFF

Nominated for 10 Academy Awards. Olivia Colman won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Content warning for sexual content, nudity and language. It is recommended that parents consult commonsensemedia.org before bringing children under 17 to this film.

"A trio of pitch-perfect performances from Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone drive Yorgos Lanthimos’s spiky period drama – a tragicomic tale of personal and political jealousy and intrigue in 18th-century England. Set in the court of Queen Anne (the last of the Stuart monarchs), it balances foreign wars with home-grown tussles in often uproarious and occasionally alarming fashion. Written by Deborah Davis (whose original script dates back to the late 90s) and Tony McNamara, this boasts razor-sharp dialogue which at times reminded me of Whit Stillman’s deliciously acerbic Jane Austen adaptation Love & Friendship – albeit with more sex and swearing." - Mark Kermode, The Guardian