England, the early 1700s: To escape her impoverished life caused by her gambling father, Abigail (Emma Stone) decides to go to Queen Anne's (Olivia Colman) court, to see if she can get employ through her cousin, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), who just happens to be the Queen's favourite - and thanks to her honesty and big heart, she's not only employed but soon rises in rank. But she soon observes Sarah to spin a net of intrigue to get the Queen to finance a war against France that's already won as her own husband (Mark Gattis) is the army leader, and also make the Queen more and more dependant from her, even becoming her lover. This all leaves an impression on Abigail, too, and she soon learns a good heart won't open her all the doors, and she starts trying to beat Lady Sarah at her own game, also by becoming the queen's new favourite, while also siding with opposition leader Harley (Nicholas Hoult) in trying to sabotage Lady Sarah's plans of war. Abigail becomes good at this game pretty quick, so good that Lady Sarah eventually fires her but she gets new employ directly from the queen - and becomes her new lover. But she might take things too far when she tries to poison Lady Sarah, but the plan backfires. As Lady Sarah isn't one to give up without a fight ...

What might sound like a convoluted period drama in my synopsis is actually a surprisingly light-footed, absurd and funny film that doesn't smother its material under the weight of historical pretensions but that succeeds to entertain the audience with a well-written tale of lies and desceit that's full of strong characters, sharp dialogue, sight gags and outbursts of comedy, all while keeping up its narrative tension throughout. And of course, a strong cast, a very dynamic direction, and great sets, props and costumes don't hurt one bit either.

Definitely worth a look!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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