Member review

Last year, I began 2018 with a bang – by watching the highly imaginative "Paddington 2".

That meant this year I had to start 2019 with an equally fabulous film, finally opting for the Olivia Coleman led “The Favourite”. Quite different to the story about a red boot wearing bear, this one was set in the 18th century. With the stellar reviews and cast (which included the likes of Olivia Coleman and Emma Stone), I entered the Edinburgh Filmhouse with high hopes.

Despite History having been one of my favourite subjects at school, I knew nothing about Queen Anne. What she was like, what century she was from – I didn’t even know what country she ruled! Unlike other Queens such as Victoria or Elizabeth or Mary, her name had never been mentioned by my history teachers.

Thankfully though the film let us know more about her fascinating life. No dull depressed monarch here – Olivia Coleman portrays her as spirited, fierce and – something that many films forget to do – real. She portrayed the woman not just as a monarch but as a relatable woman – one that you could see in your daily life. Not just an image in gowns and crowns, Coleman made me feel for her a lot. Coleman also made a lot of judges feel for her, too, for the other day she picked up a Golden Globe – no big deal, right? Just a shiny statue - for her portrayal. What’s next – a BAFTA, an Oscar? Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she picks up every award going this awards season.

The romance was heated. We had all sorts of love stories going on, a most prominent one being between Queen Anne (Coleman) and Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz). Then the film took a surprising turn, with Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) vying for the attention of the Queen. At first I didn’t think she would, for Masahm (Joe Alwyn) seemed pretty smitten with her. As the film progresses, though, Emma finds herself not just as a Queen’s maid – but as a lover to the Queen, too. The love story was fascinating to watch, particularly as I haven’t really seen many same-sex historical romance films.

Apart from the romance, there was a lot of talk of war. I’ll be honest, this bit confused me. What war are they on about? Like me, the Queen seemed a bit confused and indecisive over the whole war affair too. (And I’m not surprised.)

It is worth mentioning the lush setting. With this film, I was given a beautiful tour of an 18th century royal residence. I really did feel like I had stepped back three centuries – as if I was there, walking along the corridors with Queen Anne.

Whilst I love visiting historical sites, you never really feel like you’ve left the 21st century. The tour guides ruin the feel. So do the “don’t touch” signs splattered all over the place. Thankfully, though, if I do want to go back in time, films like “The Favourite” can help me achieve my goal.

Even though the women stole the show, the men were also rather good, with winning turns by Joe Alwyn and Nicholas Hoult. The men’s costumes were ridiculous – think massive wigs aplenty – which added to the humour.

Humour was quite important in the film, with jokes that we’d be surprised they’d be telling in a 1700s royal court. This was quite different to any other historical film I’ve watched. I love historical films, yet sometimes they can be a bit unrealistic in the portrayal of characters. Just because in 18th century portraits the subjects don’t smile, doesn’t mean they didn’t have a laugh back then. “The Favourite”, thankfully, shows us that the people did have fun back then – that they weren’t as serious as their paintings have us think.

Whilst it is worthy of its’ nominations, it wasn’t perfect. As the film built up towards the end, I was wanting it to hurry up. Did they really have to have such a long-drawn end? Also, was it really only two hours long? At times it felt much longer.

Th film did teach me about Queen Anne, yet there were still many questions left unanswered, which means I’ll have to Google it later. Even at the end I was still confused about the whole war aspect, which they could have explained a bit better. If you were watching this as a history lesson, I don’t think it’d be great at teaching you – you’d barely scrape a pass, so confused you would be with all the war/wigs talk going on.

Will it be my – sorry for the pun – favourite film of the year? Well, it is so far – for it is the only film I have watched thus far. Yet with the promising film calender lined up for the next few months, I have a feeling this film will slip from its top spot. Hopefully, though, not too far.