SPOILERS (MAYBE? PROBABLY NOT?)

Enjoyed this quite a bit. Had its own little unique style. Gives you all the court intrigue and subtle relationship machinations you could want from a period drama combined with twisted humor. People get kicked in the nuts, tossed in shit, and rape is a running gag.

The performances are outstanding. Colman's character is a glorious mess. Stone and Weisz play tough, gutsy women intent on gaining/maintaining power. The battle of wits between them takes plenty of devious turns. I thought the writer did a masterful job of shifting our sympathy, hiding the most damning personality differences till later on.  

My only major issue is with the ending. If you want to do an arthouse ending, maybe don't have scenes beforehand where people get jacked off for comedic effect.

It's honestly one of my favourite movies of all time, and I can comfortably say that now after this time has passed.

I don't think it was an art-house ending at all (although I liked the combination of lowbrow sex jokes with a refined style and it's something I've probably unintentionally emulated in my writing). it was just showing how little Stone's character actually gives a shit about the Queen. It was ALL fake. Just a great way of showing how twisted the character was and what she was willing to do to win.

I love the fish eye lens in a period setting. Reminds me of the purposeful anachronistic elements of Marie Antoinette (the Sofia Coppola one).

Great film and not even Lanthimos' best or second best in my opinion. Definitely marks his entrance into the mainstream. Yet he still finds ways to insert his idiosyncratic style, tone and humour throughout the film.

I thought the ending was reinforcing the notion that even after all of Abigail's conniving and scheming in which she ostensibly came out on top, she remains a servant, resigned to massage this woman's feet. For all her social climbing, it's a stark reminder of her true position within the hierarchy. She's one rung above, or perhaps below, Anne's rabbits.

Quoted from AlsoBen I don't think it was an art-house ending at all (although I liked the combination of lowbrow sex jokes with a refined style and it's something I've probably unintentionally emulated in my writing).

I was mainly just frustrated with it losing steam in the last fifteen or so minutes. I felt similarly about the ending to The Lobster. But yeah, enjoyed this one quite a bit overall.

I'd have to watch it again to even begin to figure out what it's all about though.

Quoted from Colkurtz8 I thought the ending was reinforcing the notion that even after all of Abigail's conniving and scheming in which she ostensibly came out on top, she remains a servant, resigned to massage this woman's feet. For all her social climbing, it's a stark reminder of her true position within the hierarchy. She's one rung above, or perhaps below, Anne's rabbits.

Hm, not sure I agree but I don't have a better explanation.

As I recall, once Abigail comes into power, she's bored and adrift without further ambition. She gets to the top, or at least as high as you can go without being royalty... the result is her sleeping around, drinking heavily, and generally being unfulfilled.

I never got a sense it was because she's missing out on some unattainable level of the hierarchy. It's not till she steps on the rabbit that the Queen crushes her underfoot.

But the whole movie may have gone over my head, it's entirely possible.

Col, I agree that Dogtooth is probably Lanthinos (sp)’s best film. The Lobster pained me though.

Quoted from MarkItZero As I recall, once Abigail comes into power, she's bored and adrift without further ambition. She gets to the top, or at least as high as you can go without being royalty... the result is her sleeping around, drinking heavily, and generally being unfulfilled. I never got a sense it was because she's missing out on some unattainable level of the hierarchy. It's not till she steps on the rabbit that the Queen crushes her underfoot.

Yeah, there is a sense of unfulfillment with Abigail. She will surely squander what she has gained eventually, go to seed, to ruin, whatever...but I think overall she is enjoying her new position of comfort and decadence (at least for now) and would by no means trade it for what she had before. I think in that last scene, in her contemptuous expression, I suspect there could be more machinations afoot. However, trying to unseat a queen would obviously be a far more complicated undertaking than disposing of the queen's confidante. Thus, her desire to attain any higher standing will probably remain just that, a desire.

Of course I could be reading waaaay too much into it also.

In regards the "art-house" ending comment I think it does give that impression with the final scene. I mean, the music, the blending of rabbit imagery. Its quite startling, weird and protracted so you really have to sit in it as a viewer.

Quoted from Colkurtz8 Yeah, there is a sense of unfulfillment with Abigail. She will surely squander what she has gained eventually, go to seed, to ruin, whatever...but I think overall she is enjoying her new position of comfort and decadence (at least for now) and would by no means trade it for what she had before. I think in that last scene, in her contemptuous expression, I suspect there could be more machinations afoot. However, trying to unseat a queen would obviously be a far more complicated undertaking than disposing of the queen's confidante. Thus, her desire to attain any higher standing will probably remain just that, a desire. Of course I could be reading waaaay too much into it also. In regards the "art-house" ending comment I think it does give that impression with the final scene. I mean, the music, the blending of rabbit imagery. Its quite startling, weird and protracted so you really have to sit in it as a viewer.

Yeah, I guess when I see an ending like that I'm expecting some profound meaning behind it. Maybe that's an unrealistic expectation. Or maybe it is there, I don't know.

It was weird and left me with things to ponder, so that's good.

There were lots of interesting choices. Like the whole idea of taking a time period where it's generally accepted women had very little authority and flipping it around. Weisz's character is tough, the male advisors are effeminate. Traditional courtship is replaced by a male suitor crawling on his knees while Emma's character smacks him around. Again, I don't know what it all means overall, but it was interesting... and hilarious at times.

I definitely need to give this one another viewing.

Going to give it a view this week

Quoted from eldave1 Going to give it a view this week

Okay - I did,

The Ending - nope.

I watch 90% of movies with my wife. When a movie ends and we simultaneously turn towards each other with a WTF look on our face - I know there is a problem with the ending.

For me, this one was like they just ran out of film and said - well, guess that's the ending - add some rabbits at the close.

A WTF look in our household too.  ::)

Oscar or not, after The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, I'm not in a hurry to watch another Yorgos Lanthimos film. The sound design on all of them alone, drives me crazy.

Quoted from LC A WTF look in our household too.  ::) Oscar or not, after The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, I'm not in a hurry to watch another Yorgos Lanthimos film. The sound design on all of them alone, drives me crazy.

Concur.

Quoted from LC A WTF look in our household too.  ::) Oscar or not, after The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Lobster, I'm not in a hurry to watch another Yorgos Lanthimos film. The sound design on all of them alone, drives me crazy.

Check out Dogtooth. You'll LOVE that  :D

Col, I'm all for 'out there' so you got me to watch the trailer...

Um no, I don't think so.

I quite liked parts of The Lobster until it lost the plot.
The endings of these movies imho, are terrible. I can only imagine the ending of Dogtooth, and I imagine I'd groan and repeat WTF.

LC - I would wholeheartedly recommend Dogtooth if it weren’t for the unsimulated sex scenes. It tries too hard to be provocative in that way in the middle but I do think it’s worth it overall. Helps if you speak Greek

Quoted from LC Col, I'm all for 'out there' so you got me to watch the trailer... Um no, I don't think so. I quite liked parts of The Lobster until it lost the plot. The endings of these movies imho, are terrible. I can only imagine the ending of Dogtooth, and I imagine I'd groan and repeat WTF.

Ha, I pretty much disagree with you across the board except for The Killing of a Scared Deer. Still a fantastically unsettling and singular piece of work but I did feel the ending was a little over the top. Crazy for crazy's sake. The Lobster's ending was devastating too but in a thematically rich way completely wedded to the film as a whole. I like the ending in The Favourite too though not to the same degree.

Dogtooth is one of the most original films of this century. Not for everyone sure but most great art isn't for everyone.

Alps is his forgotten little gem. Intriguing central concept but works in a lower register than those mentioned above.

Love him or hate him, Lanthimos is one of the most distinctive filmmakers to emerge in recent years. An artist with a vision and preoccupations which permeate all his work. Despite the heavy, troubling nature of said preoccupations (broadly speaking; obsession, isolation, intimacy, alienation, identity and general bewilderment at societal norms), its filmmakers like him that give me hope for the state of the artform in general. Especially since enough people have responded positively to his work which has allowed him to vault into the mainstream.

Of course, gaining access to the mainstream can be a death knell for the artist but he strikes me as someone who will preserve his integrity, continue to make the films he wants to make, just now with more resources and a greater reach.