Directed By Josie Rourke

Starring – Saorise Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden

The Plot – Explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart (Ronan). Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth I (Robbie). Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones and change the course of history.

Rated R for some violence and sexuality

POSITIVES

– Fierce Femininity. It’s rare that a film can articulate the ferocity of the male thinktank like this movie can, and it’s something that gave me strong insight into the powers at play against these two women of power, during the 16th century. So much of the interaction between these two queens is in the hands of these dangerous male translators, who for better or worse, use religion as a judge of character for all who pass through their monarchy. The events that take place provided a lot of fuel for the fire for the back and forth in pitting these two women against one another, and for two shameful hours made me regret being born a man, for the silly things that we feel threatened by.

– The mental game. I was surprised that Mary and Elizabeth don’t meet in the movie until there’s twenty minutes left in it, but thankfully the sequence of saucy events from both sides keeps our attention firmly locked into this story without feeling the shackles of poor pacing. There’s so much about these two prominent ladies that I never knew about, and the loads of exposition that the film delivers, all of which is accurately true, establishes this film as the perfect opened door to anyone curious about 16th century politics, as well as the weight that comes with being queen.

– Faithful production values. There’s so much here that hits the mark and really articulates the look and feeling of 16th century England and Scotland that makes for the easiest of immersions. The costume and set designs are seamless, sparing absolutely no expense in transporting us through the visual spectrum of fashions and interiors that were routine for such royal figures. However, it’s the subtlety in make-up work that might be my single favorite aspect of the props department. Especially with that of Queen Elizabeth’s skin pock condition, the details of skin deterioration and scarring stand out firmly without ever feeling intentionally retching, and it takes a beautiful actress like Margot Robbie and strips away everything familiar about her eclipsing appearance.

– Cinematography and photography with a purpose. John Mathieson’s visual focus is in these breathtaking shots of the two countries not only in capturing the immensity to convey the magnitude of its majesty, but also in contrasting the obvious similarities in them visually from afar. These inspiring shots are done exceptionally well with a wide revolving movement that is done with enough patience and time to satisfy our wonder, giving feast for the visual pallet that provide such a close proximity to echo the events of what transpires in this screenplay.

– The performances, what else? If Ronan and Robbie are spared a nomination to the Academy Awards, I simply won’t watch. These are two impeccable performances from two powerful, yet oppositely complex leaders, who the screen so desperately depends on. For Robbie’s Elizabeth, she’s every bit as envious of Mary as she is strategic in her movements. Robbie etches out a loneliness to Elizabeth that other films about her haven’t fully rendered, and even when I didn’t agree with her intentions, I couldn’t help but marvel as Robbie’s single most transformational performance to date. Ronan is equally gifted as the title character. As Mary, Saorise bottles love, anger, and intelligence under the same command, bringing it home with a command that makes Mary a revolutionary in terms of the fearlessness she constantly maintained. This is one of my favorite female heroines of 2018, and provides further proof for why Ronan’s name will be synonymous with Academy recognition for years to come. David Tennant is also devilishly delightful, donning a wig and Rip Van Winkle beard to make him nearly unrecognizable.

– Synthetic conversations and language that feed into the time frame smoothly. This is one of the biggest things I look for in period pieces, as the dialogue can sometimes break mental investment into a movie if even the slightest of speech patterns don’t ring true with their era designation, but that’s never the problem with the combination of Beau Willimon and John Guy, who translate the book of the same name terrifically. The accents are perfect, there’s minimal adult language so to show respect for the throne, and the threats are done in such an intelligent manner that makes them sometimes feel like a back-handed compliment.

– The much anticipated meeting. For those who saw the trailer, with the banter between Mary and Elizabeth, the one scene they share together made the 100 minute wait worth it in more ways than one. For one, it slowly builds this tension around it, bringing forth a confrontation that bottles every adversity that we’ve seen each of them go through to this point, and it’s shot in such a beautifully hypnotic way that serves as a metaphor for the struggle of power between them. There are many curtains throughout the room that they meet in, making it difficult for them to connect, yet easier for Elizabeth to conceal her inferior visual appearance, and the tiptoe throughout is done so exceptionally timely that it makes us yearn for this face-to-face encounter that (Believe me) pays off in spades.

– Josie Rourke, welcome to the world. Considering this is Josie’s first big screen direction, it’s astonishing the kinds of things she managed to accomplish. Rourke has a distinct eye for the camera that radiates the tone and look of the film consistently, and soaking in the most of the suffocating atmosphere in the story that we’ve ever gotten. Likewise, the way she emits the most out of her leading ladies is beyond commendable. She gives this intensity to both ladies without it ever feeling obvious or reeking of desperation to make them equal, and it all sums up why if you want this story done, you require a woman’s touch, and the trio of Rourke, Robbie, and Ronan reign, rivet, and roar. Try saying that three times fast.

NEGATIVES

– Poor documentation of the passing time. It’s difficult to say just how much time passes throughout this story from beginning to end, and the reason for that is the lack of definition between events that has a lot of this rubbing together. One such instance shows a child character who is a baby in one scene and then a young child in another, and it constantly had me feeling like I was playing catch-up to the unraveling narrative that couldn’t be bothered to include a date for reference.

– Damn foreshadowing intros AGAIN. This is far and away my least favorite cliche to any film going today, and here we have it again in the form of an introduction scene that shows us what’s coming by the end of this film. What this does is give away far too much, diminishing any kind of hope or moment of momentum for them because we know what’s waiting right around the corner. Could screenwriters just pretend that people might not know everything about the biopics that they are producing? It would make for a more intriguing time for someone like me who could use that element of surprise for where the story takes us. Enough already.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+