Plot: The arrival of a new servant sparks a clash with Queen Anne's closest friend.

Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has become quite the favourite with indie fans. While his tone may be dark and strange, the end result has been especially impactful and effective over the last few years with The Lobster and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer.


For me, I might not have given an exceptional rating to any of his films yet, I always find any of his new releases a treat as it always stays in my mind much longer any common blockbuster.


With this latest project, in terms of the level of hype, marketing and high calibre cast, this is easily Lanthimos' biggest film that will see many general cinema-goers see one of his films for the first time.


It doesn't take too long when watching this to realise the high-quality craft in so many aspects. From the on-point period set locations, to the outlandish costumes and the almost 'candid camera' style of camerawork with its fish-eye lenses.
But most importantly, the story sets itself up nicely in the opening act. Then once we see the intentions of our main characters, we just sit back and enjoy numerous attempts of betrayal, obsession and basically a classic cat-and-mouse type story structure with some dark humor to mix it up.
The way it ends may disappoint mainstream viewers. But I think if your a fan of films of Paul Thomas Anderson, I felt this to be a similar type of ending you would normally associate with that particular directors films.


As we've all been hearing, it is all about the performances of Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. You would be absolutely right. They are all on their A-game and their chemistry together is completely engaged and exciting to see develop throughout. Colman continues to do no wrong and for me is one of the strongest acting talents anywhere in the world right now. Her historical character is not well known and her performance certainly gives quite the insight on how this former British monarchy figure behaved and lived.
I was intrigued to see how Stone would do as Lanthimos story-telling style does not seem the type I would associate with the American actor. But she embraced beautifully and the content she was given really made it an essential ingredient and was integral in many memorable set-pieces.
While the buzz seems to be more towards Colman and Stone, I honestly felt Weisz stole the show for me. The rich content and story-arch she was given and the execution of several scenes was done brilliantly and for me made her the most memorable aspect from an acting side.
Another performance that I don't feel is getting enough credit is that of an almost unrecognisable Nicholas Hoult. You can tell from his opening line, that he totally got the tone Lanthimos was going for and his performance was gradually enhanced and was a nice surprise.


No real negatives to speak of. As mentioned before, I haven't rated Lanthimos highly yet. But I feel the strength of this story has made this his most accessible film to date.
The pay-off may not have been particularly strong and could lose many viewers interest by it. But for me, it still felt pretty impactful and poignant enough for me to see this as truly one of the best from 2018 and well deserving of its buzz in the major awards.


The performances are terrific, it looks great, the location choices become a character in itself and I almost forgot to mention the score that at times was scary and very atmospheric.
If you enjoyed this as much as I did, then it would be interesting to see what you make Lanthimos' previous work as they are much more genre-concentrated.


Rating: 8/10