3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): The Lost King

2022, Stephen Frears (Tamara Drewe) -- Amazon/Acorn

Amazon Prime Video has this thing called Subscriptions, which is sort of like getting another streaming service, but within the confines of your Amazon Prime account. They say you get "everything" but every time we briefly subscribe (free month + a month or two) we always seem to run out of stuff we want to watch very quickly. But we always find a gem or two. So, are these services stuck with a limited offering, or is it just the Amazon Way? Either way, I liken it to Back in the Day, we would spend $10 - $20 on renting movies on Friday, so spending that much for a month or two to binge watch a series or two, or a couple of movies, is worth it.

This one was Acorn, the British crime TV service, or at least that is how they pitch it. It also has a lot of typical British period drama, some mellow documentary shows and some movies.

The British Feel-Good Movie is often combined with the British BioPic. They tell a mostly true story where someone usually ends up overcoming some odds to come out on top, interspersed with some light comedy and low-key dramatic tension. You are supposed to like the characters, and even the Bad Guys (antagonists) are Bad Guy Lite. So, I find it a bit weird that Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water), a woman who becomes obsessed with finding the remains of King Richard the III, is not the typical likeable protagonist of these types of movies -- I might go so far to say she was unlikable. But, that was sort of the point, given that the reputation of Richard III was not all that high, and Philippa finds kinship with him after seeing a rendition of Shakespeare's play Richard III. She feels misunderstood and persecuted, and almost instantly latches onto an idea that so was he.

Yes, almost instantly, she becomes obsessed with the idea of learning more about him, of finding proof that he was not the child murdering, hunch-backed, usurper he is depicted as. She posits that the Tudors created a smear campaign about him and that is what Shakespeare based his play on. There is not much in the way of historical support for her ideas, as the say, history is written by the winners, but she finds a smattering here and there, in scholars and authors and a club that meets in a pub. But, in the meantime, while she is doing this, she has take a leave from work. Is she calling in sick, claiming it is her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Or taking some personal time? Eventually it comes to light that she just doesn't bother going into work anymore. Her ex-husband (Steve Coogan, The Trip; also screenplay by him and Jeff Pope) even challenges her, reminding her that they two are separated and cannot raise the family on one salary. In turn, she asks him to give up his flat and move in with the family again.

Her research actually bears fruit and she begins to posit that he did not have his ashes tossed into a river, but was buried on consecrated ground by supporters. She comes to believe that ground is on what is now a public car park. She even has an archaeology group at a local university find a map that supports her idea. And her obsession moves to getting the funding to dig up that car park.

At this point, you can see, in my words, that I was torn by what she was doing. It is a "feel good" movie so we are supposed to root for her, but they also don't shy away from the damage she is doing with her "feelings". That said, we truly do turn to her favour once her "feelings" find the remains and the proof it was Richard III and almost immediately the historical & archaeological establishment steps in to take credit for all her findings, literally removing her from the acclaim. It ends up taking many many years, post movie, for her to receive the credit for what she accomplished, even with all the odds put against her. 

What is the moral of the story? These movies always have a moral to the story. I was not quite sure beyond the idea that what others believe to be the defining characteristics of a person are not always true. And Philippa Langley, despite her personal failings and the failings people attributed to her, did accomplish something incredible despite almost everyone being against her. Well, all except for the ghost/delusion (Harry Lloyd, Game of Thrones) that followed her around.

Of note, the movie is based on the book she wrote on her experience, so I like to think that even the less that favourable depictions of Philippa are based on what she related, to us, personally.