The Favourite

The capriciousness of court and the perils of falling from favour are explored in this superb tragicomic take on the reign of Queen Anne from Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster). Those that flank the ailing and erratic queen (Olivia Colman) are a dastardly bunch, including her companion Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), an astute political puppeteer in her own right. Although the war with France has been won, there is appetite to hammer the point home, with landowners set to foot the bill. The arrival of Sarah's cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) causes further strife, with the fallen aristocrat becoming a rival for the queen's affections. Expletives fly, bodices are ripped and plans hatched, while deceptions cut deep. The antagonistic interplay is divine, imbued with authentic emotion by a formidable triumvirate: Stone is marvellously cunning and Weisz gloriously fearsome, yet it's Colman who stands out as she showcases her many shades. A pioneer of the "weird wave" of Greek cinema, Lanthimos brings his outsider's eye to the costume drama in a film that loosens its corsets considerably.