Stephen Frears is one of the most well-known names in British cinema. He is the director of Dangerous Liaisons (1988), The Queen (2006) and Philomena (2013) and this year his newest film is The Lost King starring the always wonderful Sally Hawkins [Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Blue Jasmine (2013) and The Shape of Water (2017] and telling the true story of Philippa Langley, an amateur historian who, after watching a performance of Shakespeare's Richard III, becomes obsessed with bringing the infamous king's true story to light.
Philippa starts reading everything that has ever been written about the King - noticing that almost every known text presents him in a highly unfavourable light, calling him a usurper, a nepoticide and a hunchback. She becomes a member of the
Richard the III fan club, quits her job and makes it her life's goal to find the King's lost body and help reinstate his name in the pantheon of kings.
The Lost King's lightheartedness and humour (Philippa sees Richard III [played by Game of Thrones' Harry Lloyd] everywhere she goes and her obsession takes shape in whole conversations with the apparition she encounters) make for an enjoyable time at the movies even though they flirt with the danger of the subject not to be taken seriously. However, Frears is a master of the craft and the familiarity he brings to his films achieves to evoke emotional reactions from his audience, especially in combination with Hawkins' extremely touching and vulnerable performance as Philippa and Alexandre Desplat's fantastic soundtrack (which I immediately listened to again after watching the movie).
The Lost King may not be an Oscar contender this year, but it nonetheless was a surprisingly delightful film and a wonderfully enjoyable watch. While it is the type of movie that can easily be ignored by moviegoers nowadays, you are surely to be entertained whether you are a history buff or just in need of a good time at the cinema.
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