La favorita

The Greek director flew out of Greek weird cinematography as the mythical bird Phoenix and got an offer to make something bigger, European, from the life of English aristocracy. In addition, he got three experienced actresses, who show us an absolute moral bottom and since he himself is a bit strange, he made it quite opulent. Too bad the movie is so long. If it was shorter, I would maybe not have time to get bored. There are so many weird things in this film, that what you considered weird in the first five minutes will feel quite normal in the last half an hour. So normal that you will watch that scene and not even raise an eyebrow. The movie is so weird that I lost a few human emotions while watching it. I had to drink a bottle of Port wine to compose my thoughts and jump out of the world of nobility, where there are lot of disgusting things happening and everybody thinks it’s normal. However, the movie has its qualities. Apart from the emotionless performances of the actors, I was mainly amazed by the castle and its surroundings and the original camera. (05.02.2019)

Like all of Lanthimos’s previous films, The Favourite is a description of a bizarre struggle for the favor of authority and a deliberately distorted caricature of human society, defined by a constant struggle for power. As a bonus, however, this new films is also a serious historical drama with an conservative narrative arc (one can feel that fragmentary storytelling lover Efthymis Filippo is not involved in this). The Favourite tries to be a venomous and scathing period piece, where (toxic) relationships between women play a leading role, while men are ephebic fools and horny idiots. The central trio is a joy to watch mainly due to their great acting and the sparkling mischief of mutual interactions. Unfortunately, over time, the film, which is a bit violently cut into chapters, becomes what it is at its core - a sparse, monotonous story with a predictable subtext. While until now Lanthimos has always been able to misalign and surprise viewers, to troll them with something that may contradict the laws of logic, but effectively comments on the arbitrariness of our existence, The Favourite is in some ways conventional. Although it contains typical choreographic excesses, it flows according to genre rules. It is dirtier, more vulgar, more crooked (Robbie Ryan FTW), sometimes effectively elliptical, but sometimes cruelly literal (the rabbits). In part, I support her, but she also did not stimulate me in any way, did not upset me, and she did not make me think. Yeah, humanity is a bunch of degenerates and really destroys character. We know, Jorgos. But I didn't feel it this time. For the first time ever, I left Lanthimos's film slightly apathetic rather than morbidly exacerbated. (29.12.2018)

This could have been a costume drama with a plot about getting closer to luxury, which is inherently linked to the subgenre of court intrigues. Perhaps that is why this story of an unhealthy trio of ladies is enriched with complete openness, such that there is no shortage of vulgarity at the local court, a lot of sex and vomiting, and a great deal of talk about both. Sure, I get it, maybe it was actually like that at the time, maybe this was the artistic intent. And yet it makes The Favourite less a sophisticated picture and more an unpleasant experience that's hard to shake off. That said, the main trio is played so well that it left me speechless. (21.02.2019)

I am not an expert on Lanthimos' work, so I cannot pass informed judgment on where he has advanced with his latest film and what is missing compared to his previous films. My only previous encounter, in the form of a mix of absurd drama and comedy called The Lobster, was decent, so I accepted my daughter's invitation to accompany her to the movie theater. I must admit that if it weren't for the social role of being an escort for my daughter, I would have gotten up and left the movie theater after half an hour - to that extent, Lanthimos and I did not see eye to eye this time. His strong weapon is the camera, often using the "fish-eye" method. The set and costumes are also worth mentioning, but they should actually be a given for this type of production. The music did not interest me, as it was strangely disharmonic, indulging in fluctuating intensity - almost as if the director was afraid the audience would fall asleep. According to my daughter, this is a typical characteristic of the director's work. I have a fundamental problem with the characters. They are dark caricatures controlled by basic instincts and driven by the simplest motivations and goals. It is not so much that there are practically no positive characters in the film with whom I could identify but rather, I feel that politics in the highest echelons of power could not be carried out on such a primitive basis. What was missing for me was sophistication and cleverness - both in the behavior of the film characters and in the way the story is told. By the way, open lesbian games belong to different times. The lack of discretion would have backfired on the monarch. Lanthimos intentionally holds back on the humor and puts those few scenes in the opening third of the film. The Favourite is neither a realistically told story nor a stylized absurd play - the director would have to add a significant amount of exaggeration for that. What bothered me the most was the half-heartedness in the approach to the characters. Do I want to show the "vileness" of one of the protagonists? Then I'll let her vomit into a jug in detail. I understand that Lanthimos wanted to delve into what we consider unpleasant, repulsive, unclean, obscene, deformed, and cruel, but even ugliness can have its own aesthetics and be presented in a more creative form. Lanthimos will certainly find an enthusiastic audience for this, but I will not join them. No, you did not please me, Lanthimos, and I in turn, I will not please you either. Overall impression: 40%. (30.01.2019)

I'm sorry, but I couldn't get on the right wave to enjoy The Favourite practically until the end. Although all three actresses act great (Emma Stone’s grimaces versus Rachel Weisz's stone face), but what it's all for when I was raising my eyebrows in astonishment regarding the bizarre things that were unfolding on screen, and I was wondering what's wrong with me, that the surprisingly cringey humor doesn't make me laugh like everyone else (or some other people) in the movie theatre. The impressively strange camera reminded me of Juraj Herz's films (mainly the fisheye is like the one from The Cremator); however, it didn't improve the experience much. The film seemed too long to me after about an hour and although I was wondering what would happen next, nothing actually happened that I didn't expect. That’s too bad. (30.01.2019)

If you are into Lanthimos’s peculiar poetics and stylistic whims, The Favourite will very possibly be the most entertaining film of the year for you. Though the division into chapters and some of the visual deformations leave a dodgy impression, the absurdly escalating conflicts, the play with the setting and the lightning, the performances and the music are so good that the film flows as smoothly as if it had been directed by Kubrick himself. It is very nice that in the age of Hollywood feminism there are so many Oscar contenders where female characters are uneducated, indecisive or unbearably manipulative bitches. 85% (29.01.2019)

The Favourite was my first encounter with director Yorgos Lanthimos, whose name has been resonating at various festivals in recent years thanks to his distinctive creative style. The film certainly cannot be denied an original approach to the historical theme and to the work with the actors. It is essentially a concert of three very talented actresses, the most outstanding of whom is Olivia Colman in the lead role – I really hope she gets the Oscar, even though she is up against the Academy's long-neglected Glenn Close. I have to admit that I felt very sorry for Queen Anne at times, and I certainly wouldn't want to be in her shoes – surrounded by manipulators who know how to exploit a situation and take advantage of a queen with a fickle health and a poor education. The director certainly doesn’t pull any punchs and serves more than one raw scene, which underlined the local atmosphere, where a knife-edge fight between two supremely intelligent women takes place. The most emotionally powerful scene for me was probably the justification of rabbit breeding. The film benefited from a novel script, amazing performances and its visual style (unusual camera shots). P.S. I think I'll find time for more of the director's films in the future. (06.02.2019)

Querido espectador conocedor de sus películas anteriores, perdona todas las excentricidades al señor director porque no queda más remedio que reconocer que son originales. Además, ha elegido un trío de actores de primera clase para las relaciones tóxicas y extravagantes en la corte real, que entretendrán, entristecerán y deslumbrarán. Me pregunto a mí mismo por qué solo era fan de Emma Stone, tal vez por mi necesidad natural de proteger y apoyar siempre a los más débiles, aunque a veces sea controvertido y aparente. (16.02.2019)

As much as I like Lanthimos' previous films, I can't ignore the personal problem with them that everything in them – every leaf, every hair, every cloud – is an allegory. The Favouriteis the first film he didn't write the screenplay for himself, so that previous obstacle has fallen aside. Still, it's fun to watch a basically unconscious allegory of what it's probably been like for several years now in our own Lány. Leg included. (22.04.2019)

I feel that filming through a fisheye lens is not very appropriate for a historical costume film. Nor did I like the way the story was peppered with really vulgar language, which evokes the present rather than a bygone era. However, the screenplay is spot on about intrigue and devious manipulation at the royal court during the reign of Queen Anne of Great Britain is almost without fault. Most of all, however, I have to praise the excellent performances of Olivia Colman and Emma Stone. Both ladies obviously put their all into it, playing the roles of those unlikeable women incredibly convincingly. (70%) (15.10.2022)

Next time I need a heavy dose of the bizarre, I will just watch election campaign videos of various political parties and I might even have a good laugh. This was just 2 hours of the bizarre without the funny part and all 3 main characters were just plain unlikeable and annoying. The quality of the filmmaking and acting performances is undeniable, but I was bored throughout the whole runtime. (17.08.2022)