Film Review - The Lost King
Images courtesy of Transmission Films.
This movie, unlike most, tickled me pink. Absurdly so, I left the cinema & I wasn’t sure why I was laughing so much. I guess the British simply do it better.
It’s the sense of nuanced humour that makes The Lost King such a fantastic watch - the irrelevant stuff relegated to the ends of paragraphs in the script, or ends of scenes. Just a trickle of common sense levied by the character that can really connect with an audience flabbergasted by the incompetence of all those on screen besides the lead. In saying that, The Lost King certainly falls into the mold of those other films which find a wave of men belligerently stifling progress because they won’t listen to a woman. I’ve seen ‘em before, but thankfully this one has a little more substance than titles like Ms. Marvel, even though maybe it’s naive to compare a TV show with a feature…
The Lost King portrays an intimate plot, one which transpires primarily within the protagonists’ own head. This is done in a way that enhances the humour, as the role of internal constructive thinking is instead played by King Richard III in the world of Phillipa Langley, someone who has been fiending for her purpose in life for decades before stumbling upon the oft-sought after final burial site of the long-dead monarch. A nice little examination of unhealthy relationships is exhibited through this ultimately helpful, yet derivative, relationship that forms between the construct of a ghost and someone who, in her own life, has also often been forgotten, looked over, and misjudged.
The insecure story of someone attempting to convince the world that they can solve a half century-old riddle sets the stakes perfectly for a social services parking lot, where Langley is pressed and furious that nobody will take her seriously -and the hefty risk of your family and community not believing you. All-in-all, the only high-octane action of the first 80 per cent of the film exists in Phillipa’s head, but I believe that is the very best learning experience a film can give.
Interpersonal struggles highlight the weight each character is tasked with in affording legitimacy to exhuming The King -a constant split dichotomy between those believing themselves to be on the cusp among those relegating it as another hopeless endeavour. There’s the feeble, unconvincing mother who shuns herself to the backdrop of any scene, and then there’s the superwoman - the one who can find what nobody else can.
Although watching the latter can be a little more fun, with them girl-bossing it up and such, sometimes enduring the struggle and accepting the fight to become the super woman is the more rewarding avenue. The Lost King can pretend like it’s focusing on Richard, but the truth is they could change the title to The Lost Queen, and nobody would bat an eye.
The Lost King is screening in cinemas from Boxing Day, Monday 26th December 2022. For tickets and more info, click here.