THE FAVOURITE
The Favourite is in my opinion, one of the most ingenious and extraordinary period films, it’s probably oversaid but I really didn’t know just HOW good it was, and man is it a masterpiece. Yorgos Lanthimos has this distinct style that he brought to the film, everything is a little off here. Visually and characteristically. From the very beginning you know this is not gonna be like any other period drama, there’s a peculiarity to this film, it comes from the swift storytelling style rarely seen in a film like this and also the mixing of tone. The Favourite is a hilarious movie, there were times where I burst out laughing but it’s also dark and sad. It’s a twisted film of sorts, marvelously entertaining but playfully sadistic. It’s a scathing and bold portrayal of the rich, corrupt elite of the court of Queen Anne in the 17th century but as we come to learn, it’s a lot more than that. It’s a clever and calculated film, and nerve goes where you think it’s going. It’s an outlandish but strikingly poignant film.
The cinematography is easily a highlight, the use of super wide lenses expound on the outlandishness as well as the extravagance of the movie. There’s a lot going on visually, the costumes and production design are lavish and over the top. There’s a sort of vulgar beauty to everything, even to the way the characters act and talk. Yorgos Lanthimos’ fluid direction combines with the smooth and hypnotic camera work to create a wonderfully magnificent sensory experience. The screenplay is sharp and witty, always doing multiple things at once with not a moment wasted. The way the film is split into chapters is very memorable. The intelligent writing cannot be understated, every line of dialogue is outstandingly scabrous but clever. It’s a movie that plotwise atleast, is about three central characters, Queen Anne, Lady Sarah and Abigail as they scheme, lie, betray, flatter and even love to come out on top of a three way power struggle.
The characters are complex, and their motivations range from ambiguous to sharp. Seriously, they’re really layered, and sometimes I started rooting for the character I did not even expect too at the start. All the actresses delivered thunderous performances, and each one of them rightfully deserved their Oscar nods. Olivia Coleman plays an almost childish yet ultimately tragic queen Anne, Rachel Wiesz plays a devious but ultimately loyal Lady Sarah, and Emma Stone too, brings to life a character whose true intent is still not clear by the end. The dynamic between these three is electric. But underneath all of this madness, there’s a certain something. A sadness, that is thoughtful and human, subtly placed in a film decorated with grotesqueness and inhumanity. It’s oddly beautiful. It talks about love, trust and loyalty even after showing us some of the most immoral things human beings could do.
DOGTOOTH
Dogtooth is definitely a weird film, and hard to talk about, not because I didn’t quite understand but because I’m not sure how it made me feel. I mean sure, it’s disturbing I guess? And it’s also.. thrilling? It’s a film that’s slightly emotionally distant on purpose, and what Yorgos Lanthimos has crafted here is a brilliantly beguiling concept. Everything about the movie is slightly bizarre, and slightly off. It’s not a psychedelic and trippy film, but more so, uncomfortable. And that’s because of the concept set forth. It’s genius honestly, and can be an allegory for a lot of things. People have interpreted the film in many different ways, from a take on facism to unconventional families, the cost and importance of freedom, abnormalities in a normal society or what I think it is, which is a cautionary tale as well as a statement on control.
I won’t disclose the concept of the film here cause going in blind is pretty sick. There are a lot of subtle twists and turns in the story as well as revelations that get more unnatural as time goes on, and by the end, sinister. It’s a strange film with a solid screenplay that gets all its ideas across. It’s never too mind-numbing but nothing is on the nose. Definitely an intriguing film that warrants discussion. I still can’t analyse it yet, because it kinda tickles my brain. I’m not sure what to think of what it was trying to say, even though I can tell that Lanthimos had something to get across on manipulation and why freedom is important. But there’s so many scenes in this film that kinda lost me, the awkward dance scene as one. It just didn’t even register in my brain right
But man, is it a well made film. It was clearly shot on a tiny budget but it focuses on building character and tone in surprising ways. It’s really intelligent. It’s as intricate as it is random, taking anything from this movie out of context would result in pure confusion, but they fit together like puzzle pieces. Dogtooth is slightly traumatizing, slightly mysterious but in the end, this strange work of art that achieves what it wanted to do. An unsettling story with great performances and soothing cinematography save for the horrifying moments that give you anxiety. Do give it a watch if you haven’t especially if you’re a fan of Yorgos Lanthimos’ other work.
So yeah, comparing these films we see how far he's come as a director from 2009 to 2018. He's gotten bigger budgets over the years, and it's really interesting to see how his style has changed. He's a brilliant filmmaker and one of the best working currently in my humble opinion.
By @starwards1
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