This is one of those times that I completely forgot what I'd learned of a movie's nature before it began playing in front of me. All I knew offhand was that it's in talks for award nominations, and a Meetup group invited me.
For starters, the setting is 1708 England, during the War of the Spanish Succession. Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), who lost her aristocratic status through no fault of her own, finds employment as a scullery maid in the royal palace, thanks in part to her blood link to royal counselor Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz), however little they've known each other. Abigail's medical knowledge earns her the positive attention of ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman)—to too great a degree for Sarah's comfort. Anne and Sarah are on very intimate terms, and it might be especially bad to attempt a ménage à trois while fighting France....
A few men figure pretty prominently as well. Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), an earl who argues against a proposal to double taxes to pay for war resources, encourages Abigail to spy on Sarah or at least interpose herself between Sarah and Anne. His main debate opponent is fellow earl Sidney Godolphin (James Smith). Baron Samuel Masham (Joe Alwyn) is also privately confronting Abigail, albeit with a more traditional goal in mind.
We can tell early on that this movie does not shy away from vulgarity: Abigail arrives in a carriage with an open masturbator who launches her into stinking "mud," which a servant identifies by the S word. You'll hear the C and F words more often, in both literal and figurative senses, from more upper-class mouths. (I realize that Anne's time was not the Victorian era, but I'd gotten the impression of more decorum even then, as well as a preference for different expletives.)
Were you expecting a woman-heavy story of the old British elite to be quaint, or should I say twee? Well, the only characters you're likely to find cute for long are the pet rabbits, some land-racing ducks, and maybe the fired-upon pigeons. However you feel about casual if secretive same-sex intercourse, none of the major parties behaves nobly in terms of human relations. Sarah is strikingly blunt, even to the queen, whom she does her best to dominate. Abigail puts on an air of sweetness but turns out to be a good actress instead. And Anne, in her self-pity, frequently forgets to care about others. I think they all stop short of irredeemable territory, if only by conscious effort, but you'd better not grow too fond of anyone.
I'm uncertain of Abigail's orientation. She gets it on with both genders, but in each case, it may be just a bid for power. Sarah's more likely to have an honest sort of love for Anne. It seems like Abigail is in the midst of discovering herself -- and doesn't really mind her dark side.
Speaking of dark, some viewers laud the biting comedic aspects. I found that the reactions in my theater pretty much mirrored those at Deadpool 2: rarely going beyond a smattering of tentative chuckles. Perhaps it helps to have a European sense of humor. (The production is part Irish, and the director is Greek, FWIW.)
Personally, I took more interest in the political moments. It's not just the question of whether to tax more or spend less on regal extravagances; there's also when to sue for peace. Trying to end the war ASAP carries obvious appeal, but Godolphin has a point: Too soon and you may come across as desperate, emboldening the enemy. I'm not sure which side I'd take.
Things also get interesting from a technical standpoint. Several shots involve a gratuitously turning camera and/or a fisheye lens, as if to increase our detachment with a sensation of surrealism -- or make us feel trapped in a world where we don't belong. The music focuses far more on mood than melody; some scenes just alternate between two tones an octave apart for minutes on end. That does convey agony well.
I can tell that a lot of skill went into this work, but it's hard for me to recommend when the gestalt is sickening on multiple levels. I sure hope the Academy finds a cleaner choice for Best Picture.
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