'The Favourite', 2018

I was truly not expecting The Favourite (2018) to be as ~gay~ as it was. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the movie tells the story of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in the early 1700s, and her individual relationships with two cousins, vying for her attention (and for higher status). Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, is the Queen’s closest confidant, until Abigail Hill comes along, and begins to work her way up the hierarchical ladder.

It took a very long time for the movie to be created; Deborah Davis wrote the first draft of the screenplay in 1998. Producer Ceci Dempsey was intrigued, but had trouble securing financing for the film, due to the lesbian content, and the lack of male representation (which financiers thought would be difficult to market). The movie was finally picked up by Lanthimos in 2008, who was intrigued by the fact that these three women “possessed power that affected the lives of millions”. And this view is reflected in his work; the three women are the absolute center of this film, as they should be. Even the costumes represent this dynamic; instead of being beautiful decorations in the background, the women have natural hair and faces, while the male characters have considerable makeup and large wigs. These women command the audience’s attention throughout the entire film, and their actions may surprise you.

The five words I would use to describe this film: acerbic, fierce, profane, punchy, sordid

My queer take: The tension between the two women vying for the Queen’s affection was evident in the trailer, but what they don’t show you is that this competition also contained a sexual (and romantic) element. The fraught love triangle between these three women is an interesting story on its own, but when you consider the immense (yet subtle) power that these women are jockeying for, the story becomes even more enthralling. Did the Queen actually have a sexual relationship with either of these women? There’s evidence that both supports and disproves the theory; but as we know, history is a flawed discipline - and does it really matter? See it for yourself - I promise you, you won’t care about the historical accuracy. ‘The Favourite’ came away with only 67% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes, contrasting with the 93% fresh review given by critics. It was a box office success, earning over $95 million off of a $15 million budget.

Fun fact: Olivia Colman was the director Lanthimos’ only choice for Queen Anne; she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress. (The Favourite was tied with Roma as the most-nominated film of the 2019 Oscars.) Colman said that the difference between Anne and the previous queens she has played was that "the other queens didn't get to fall in love with two hot women".