SCREEN
BY EMMA SMART
Pick of the Month
THE FAVOURITE
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Sex, blackmail, lies and backstabbing: it’s all going on in Yorgos Lanthimos’ version of the early 18th century royal court. The frail Queen Anne, a marvellous Olivia Colman already picking up awards for her portrayal of the muchmaligned monarch, has a loose grip on her country, relying on her close friend Lady Sarah, the always brilliant Rachel Weisz, to make decisions and govern in her stead. Theirs is an old and sometimes cruel friendship, that spilled over into physical love at some point, the seemingly spoilt Queen flying into jealous rages when Lady Sarah isn’t paying her attention. Into this delicate and tempestuous household walks Abigail, the flawless Emma Stone, a maid with her eyes on serving the crown and, in the process, lifting herself up the social ladder. Realising quite quickly she must usurp the current Queen’s favourite in order to become the new Lady of the Bedchamber (in a literal and figurative sense), the game is on between a steely Lady Sarah and ambitious Abigail to garner the Queen’s affections. You’ll never look at a Queen Anne chair quite the same way again!