“Sometimes a lady likes to have some fun.”

unhinged and slightly crazy but then again, this is a Yorgos Lanthimos film we’re talking about here, so compared to his other works it’s almost tame again. 

Olivia Colman is next level in this, no doubt my favourite performance. Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz also pull all their cards and deliver beyond whatever you imagined, they work so perfectly with this material. actually, the whole cast brings an acting force to the table that you’ll seldomly see like this in a film. it’s utterly theatrical and often feels more like a stage play than merely light particles on a screen. such a lively production. 

certainly the prettiest production design of this year, wonderful castle interiors and garden, gorgeous costumes and massive hair/makeup galore. they really blasted that budget on the most gorgeous sets and the different palace rooms are breathtaking in their lavishness. so are the different figures moving through this entrancing period piece, from the Queen over Sarah and Abigail to Harley and Godolphin you meet all kinds of animals

animals in the sense of how they manipulate and fight each other for scraps of richdom and status by all means necessary. everyone’s so selfabsorbed and determined to rise up in court ranks and the queen’s favor and it’s a pretty wild affair to watch, especially the love triangle unfolding between Anne, Sarah and Abigail. the latter two do definitely not shy away from destroying each other. 

the screenplay is twisted, dark humored, and full of savage dialogues. the quickwitted, snyde exchanges between the characters made me gasp and laugh in glee. as much of an interesting display of intricate court politics and talks this is, it does have its lengths here and there. the score consists of mainly classical music appropriate for the time and is used adeptly to underline certain scenes. 

but let’s address Yorgos direction and Robbie Ryan’s camerawork cause y’all be out there reading about comparisons to Kubrick (which i won’t really comment about). Lanthimos certainly shows his auteur skill in full force here. his style is unique in its playfulness because while split into different sections you never know what awaits you after the next cut or fade. it twists the carefully constructed idea you have of it out of your hands and rearranges it time and time again. 

the cinematography is vibrant in the way it accentuates the riches on display, and palace interiors have never popped off prettier (i’m in love with the wall patterns in Anne’s bedroom). more important however, are the different techniques woven into each other seamlessly. remember how i said it was such a lively production, like a stage play? there’s for example. a couple short parts filmed with a fisheye lense which distorts everything a bit and should seem out of place. But it works so well!

am honestly still flabbergasted by the bold angles in a discussion, or the precision in just straight up fucking around with you by wildly swinging the camera around two characters chasing each other and then blending into an entirely different and fresh scenery back at the palace. magnificent work and more than deserving of the high praise it’s been getting for technical mastery, writing, and acting. gosh it’s a feast and i ate it up like Emma and Sarah did Queen Anne. 

the lesbians truly win this one fellas, millions spent and raised for the LGBT i’d say :’) also i’m pretty sure i was the only one who laughed when they mentioned Jonathan Swift, glad my english major brought me one more giggle here.