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March 6, 2019 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: Olivia Colman Delivers Oscar- Winning Performance in ‘The Favourite’ by Kam Williams For The Skanner News Q ueen Anne (1665- 1714) was a sickly monarch whose dozen-year reign ran from 1702 to 1714. She was also married to Prince George of Den- mark from 1683 until he passed away at Kensing- ton Palace in 1708. Although Anne was unable to produce an heir, it wasn’t from a lack of trying. She was preg- nant 17 times, but most of her babies either miscar- ried or were stillborn, and the handful carried to term died during in- fancy. The Queen coped with the loss by raising 17 pet rabbits, one for each offspring, a curious way to grieve, indeed. Until now, Anne and George have been gener- ally remembered as hav- ing been faithful and de- voted partners. But you can add “The Favourite” “ ‘The Favourite’ be frustrated by “The Favourite” than your average fan of the cos- tume drama genre. The carefully-constructed crowd-pleaser was nom- inated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos) and Best Original Screenplay. A British history buff is more likely to be frustrat- ed by “The Favourite” than your average fan of the cos- tume drama genre to the long list of revi- sionist sagas which deign to impose present-day values while ignoring long-standing, conven- tional wisdom. So, a British history buff is more likely to The three female leads in this lesbian love trian- gle were nominated, too, although Olivia Colman landed the movie’s sole Oscar for her memorable performance as domi- neering Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone co-star opposite Colman, as a duchess and a servant vying for the manipulative monarch’s affections. At the point of depar- ture, we find Lady Sarah (Weisz) already attend- ing to every need of an obese queen crippled by gout. The two are also se- cretly conducting a pas- sionate, forbidden affair. But when Abigail (Stone) arrives on the scene, Anne’s head is turned by the attractive young maid. A subtle power struggle ensues, as each of the subjects does her best to become the queen’s constant companion. Meanwhile, Anne’s real-life hubby, George, is conveniently absent entirely from the tale. A fabricated romantic romp for folks more con- cerned about a historical drama’s entertainment value than its commit- ment to the facts. Excellent HHHH Rated R for profanity, nudity and graphic sexuality Running time: 119 min. Production: Element Pictures , Scarlet Films, Film4 Productions, Way- point Entertainment Roma cont’d from pg 6 resa (Veronica Garcia), who lives with them, too. Meanwhile, Cleo and her fellow nanny, Adela (Nancy Garcia), dutiful- ly assume the bulk of the child-rearing and housekeeping duties. Both of these servants hail from humble roots, being uneducated peas- ants of Mixteco, native Mexican heritage. Yet, like typical young women, they do dream of someday escaping their lowly station to start families of their own. And each has a ro- mantic interest. Cleo’s is Fermin (Jorge Anto- nio Guerrero), a cousin of Adela’s boyfriend, Ramon (Jose Manuel Guerrero Mendoza). The plot thickens the evening the two couples go on a double date to a movie theater. Against her better judgment, Cleo leaves early with Fermin who has re- served a motel room where they share an evening of passionate, unprotected sex. She ends up preg- nant, and a moment of truth arrives when her baby-daddy reacts badly to the news that he’s about to become a father. So, now she has to worry whether she’ll be fired when she tells Sofia that she’s knocked up. Thus unfolds “Roma,” a semi-autobiographi- cal, dysfunctional fam- ily drama written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Set in Mexico City in the 1970s, this impressionistic saga shot in black & white more than makes up in atmosphere what it might lack in meaning- ful dialogue. Kudos to Cuaron for crafting such a visual- ly-captivating, surreal memoir of his troubled coming of age! Excellent HHHH Rated R for profanity, disturbing images and graphic nudity In Spanish and Mixtec with subtitles. Running time: 135 min. Production Companies: Esperanto Filmoj / Participant Media Distributor: Netflix To see a trailer for Roma, visit: TheSkan- ner.com.
