Director Stephen Frears’ combination with writers Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope created the Oscar-winning combination that was Philomena. So it’s no surprise that their second collaboration, The lost king was one of the most exciting premieres at this year’s TIFF. Although it is far from the strength of PhilomeneIt’s still a lovely little film.
In the film, an amateur historian finds an unlikely fascination in finding the remains of King Richard III and disproving the myths conjured up against him by the likes of William Shakespeare. The film’s subject, Philippa Langley, did so in the early 2010s and wrote a book about her experiences from which the film was adapted.
The film’s pacing ends up being one of its most disappointing aspects. It takes about forty-five minutes before the character even decides to embark on the excavation of Richard III’s remains, and by the time that actually starts to happen, there’s only about half an hour left of the film. . This final act is where the majority of the most interesting stuff happens, which makes the movie feel rushed as a whole.
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In the end, the movie almost feels like it’s not as triumphant as it should be. The whole third act is a little disappointing. It ends exactly as you’d expect – especially if you know the true story from the ground up – but it’s not the predictability that kills the movie. It’s the fact that the film can’t decide whether it wants to be cynical or hopeful, loving or mocking, creating a film that feels frustratingly uneven.
It’s clear that the film is trying to say something interesting about the inherent misogyny of the community the film is set in, but unfortunately it doesn’t really expand on the themes as well as it should. This is probably why it never feels like the protagonist is winning – even when she is – but it really undermines any gravity the story might have had.
Sally Hawkins is absolutely exceptional in her role. His performance is truly the driving force of the film, taking a character that could easily have been slightly silly and turning him into something utterly believable and authentic. Coogan also gets a pretty unorthodox role, defying traditional audience expectations of the supporting spouse in a drama like this.
Frears brings a unique style to it, turning it almost as if it were a Hitchcockian psychological thriller with a comedic edge. It starts in the opening credits, which is apparently inspired by the work Saul Bass has done on many Hitchcock films. It seems a bit off-putting at first, but once he really finds his groove and Hawkins starts treating his character’s journey like a “case”, it starts to work really well.
The lost king is a real crowd pleaser, even if it feels a bit too rushed for its own good. The story and the approach the filmmakers take in it is certainly interesting, even if it ends up feeling a bit underdeveloped. 7/10.
The lost king screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8-18.
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