In this zany historic epic full of peasants and royals, riches and games…it feels like the “Baroque” of Reality Housewives circa the Court of Queen Anne.
With wars to finance and treaties to sign, useful allies and enemies to conquer, it’s early 18thcentury England when a frail (aren’t they always?) Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne while her close friend Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) occupies seemingly all else. But when a servant named Abigail (Emma Stone) seeks employment with a letter of reference from her Aunt, she hopes to eventually endear Sarah. She too was once a lady, before her family fell on hard times. She holds those memories in her heart. And her intention.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos delights us with absurd elements ofThe Queenbut feeling more Marie Anotinette (Sophia Coppola’s 2006 farce). Herein we witness unbefitting circumstances – sometimes a bit much to digest – as if indulging in second helpings of venison stew and duck livers washed down with a Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Followed by a beer! But it would make sense, given Lanthimos’s quirky resume of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
In the end, it’s a thorny and thistle-y tour-de-force, with Oscar-worthy performances by three women who somehow manage to lend an odd relevance to the #MeToo to come. But it’s Rachel Weisz who steals the show. 3 tiaras