Toronto Review: Stephen Frears’ “The Lost King” starring Sally Hawkins

William Shakespeare firmly defined Richard III as a misshapen, patient, deceitful and downright bad monarch in his 1597 play, and the image of man as such has persisted ever since.

But that all changed nearly a decade ago, when an unsuspecting and enthusiastic historian took a break and eventually discovered the tomb under a parking lot in central Leicester, a story that is now being told in a bizarre way. the lost king It’s a discreet but utterly fascinating story that has the look and feel of many good British films from 25 or 30 years ago, a quality that can certainly be largely attributed to the reliable and versatile Stephen Frears at the helm.

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Delightfully written by Steve Coogan and prolific TV writer Jeff Pope, this is a story set against the backdrop of Preston Sturges’ human comedies, in which it is unlikely that anyone will suddenly do something like this. hero. In this case, she is a woman who not only defies conventional wisdom, but also defies academic norms by acting more like an intuitive detective than a doctrinal historian. It’s a great script for Sally Hawkins, who is unsurprising that she shines as her lover struggling defiantly until she literally gets the job done.

Philippa Langley’s position in life seemed bleak; Although she and her husband John (a delightfully haughty Coogan) are no longer together, they still live close together under one roof in Edinburgh with a small child that John is largely responsible for. Because they have no financial choice. But she is mostly benign about her domestic conditions, enough to allow fast-moving Philippa to bond with her lovers of hers and delve into long-buried secrets about the literal death and cover-up of the evil monarch for long. time.

Part of what it keeps the lost king Fighting at such an exciting pace is a lively but mostly friendly discussion between all sides; Everyone here, from Philippa’s friends to various rival academics, is fighting for their lives, but they are involved, none more so than Philippa. By academic standards, it is normal and unsuitable to enter the ring with properly educated academics. He technically suffers from chronic fatigue, although looking at him he barely notices it, perhaps because Hawkins is such a lively artist, whatever happens.

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Anyway, Philippa goes on. Let’s see a little of Shakespeare Richard III In local production, and remember that the bard wrote his magical work about 100 years after the death of King Richard. Intrigued by the whole story, Philippa digs deeper and becomes “innocent until proven guilty” about her theme. This being the modern age, she is able to communicate online with Richard III’s “family”, accelerating her descent into obsession.

And so it roars incessantly along the path that leads to the parking lot under which it is now assumed that the much maligned king may be buried. At this pivotal moment, he is met with stiff resistance from proprietary local academics who automatically think they know best, just as outside competition threatens their monopoly on all things Richard.

This treatment of our hero is both disturbing and entirely believable, but still fails to stop the momentum, which ends up in the most unlikely place: an anonymous parking lot, under which the infamous grand piano lies peacefully, like pedestrians, cars. , and trucks. Unknowingly, they walked along the sidewalk a few meters from his remains. It’s highly unlikely, but it’s still a painful climax.

There is a sense that local academics have rejected Philip as much as possible, but he gets the last laugh at being filmed in the middle of it all, deservedly or not. It’s great entertainment, not too fancy, but safe and fun in its storytelling. Hawkins is victorious as ever; He grabs you and pushes you through the absolutely captivating highs and lows of him. It’s a reminder of the kind of quirky and offbeat British films that were expected but have become relatively rare, at least in theaters. Whether it’s real or something with a grain of salt, it’s something you’ll love.

Coogan offers a beautifully drawn portrait of the good-natured, good-for-nothing man compulsively supporting his wife in every possible way as he embarks on a seemingly futile quest to prove his belief that King Richard is not only buried in Leicester, but no. He deserves the slander with which he was dressed throughout the Middle Ages.