Director Yorgos Lanthimos, with his wit and dark side, plunged into the dark waters of early 18th-century British politics, where no position was more enviable and less precarious than the Queen's darling.
The story of Landimos (based on the screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara) is roughly based on the true "competition under the throne" between Mrs. Sarah Marlborough (Rachel Weiz) and her cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), who handles friendship and romantic entanglement in an almost dangerous way. The result may fade from view, but it's interesting as it goes on, with at least one of the three incomparable heroines going to get Oscar recognition.
Queen Anne's reign lasted from 1702 until her death in 1714. The most popular works cover the period between 1704 and 1711 and detail the relationship between Sarah and Abigail with dark arrows, duplicity, and manipulation. When a penniless Abigail came to court, she was initially taken under the protection of her cousin. When she devised an herb to relieve the pain of Anne's gout, she was introduced to the Queen. Thereafter, with Sarah initially unconcerned, Anne and Abigail forged a friendship. After a night's sleep in Anne's bed, Abigail saw an opportunity to kick her opponent out of office, while Sarah still didn't know how ambitious Abigailer was, and the next blow would be severe.
The most popular person to dabble in parliamentary politics, Sarah is a sympathizer of the Whig Party, and Abigail supports the Conservative Party. As a result, both sides have strong allies. Sarah's husband, Lord Marlborough (Mark Gatis), was the commander of the British army in the War of the Spanish Succession, and the Earl of Godolfin (James Smith) was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Abigail was supported by the most powerful Conservatives, including Robert Halley (Nicholas Holt), Earl of Oxford. While much of the film focuses on the actions and counterattacks that Sarah and Abigail take to preserve the Queen's approval and affection, the struggle between the Whigs and the Conservatives is never too intense in the background.
The historical accuracy of The Favourite is a controversial topic, especially its depiction of the sexual nature of Sarah and Abigail's relationship with the Queen. Most historians believe that although Sarah and Anne had a close friendship from an early age, this was platonic. The film unequivocally makes them lovers, and in real life, there is more uncertainty about the depth of Abigail's relationship with Annie. Sarah hinted at a possible lesbian component in her vicious memoirs, and the film script adopted this view. It also transforms Abigail into a more indulgent character than in real life — an opportunist who will use any means to gain power and once he has, he will never give it up. At one point, when Abigail seemed to beat Sarah, her opponent commented. "You think you won, don't you?" But we are fighting different wars. ”
Perhaps because he directed according to a script he hadn't written, Jogos Landimos' third English-language film was the easiest to understand. It's not as blatantly weird as lobsters (featuring Rachel Weiz) or killing sacred deer. The film employs a number of unique photographic pieces, including the occasional use of fisheye lenses, whose distortions emphasize the singularity of the royal bubbles in which the main characters are captured. There's also a visually striking moment in which Abigail sits demurely in front of a painted wall that appears to be part of the landscape. Landimos emphasized the prosperity and affluence of the palace as a contrast to whether taxes should be raised to finance the war.
The strength of "Darling" lies in the acting skills of the three protagonists, all of whom have been widely praised for their previous roles. Emma Stone brings a superficial vulnerability to the evil part of Abigail, who seems innocent but not pure enough inside. It's not the first time Rachel Wiez has played the domineering Sarah. The real star, however, is Olivia Colman, the only one of the three who didn't win an Oscar (Stone and Wes won Oscars for Lara Manor and The Eternal Gardener, respectively). Coleman's character is straight, without a hint of irony, thus creating a tragic character. Anne's predicament is even more sad because she doesn't realize that she has been ruthlessly manipulated by two women who should have loved her.
According to Landimos, the two films he directly inspired were Amadeus and Cry and Whisper. The psychological resonance of these films is evident in the way Sarah and Abigail distort and manipulate Anne's perspective. Although "The Favourite" can be classified as a black comedy — it certainly contains all the features of a comedy — it also effectively plays a tragic role. For those who love historical fiction, their favorite is a delicious piece of dim sum with a spicy aftertaste.