Mary Queen of Scots
2018 · Directed by Josie Rourke
Original language: English
- drama
- history
The story
In 1561, Mary Stuart, widow of the King of France, returns to Scotland, reclaims her rightful throne and menaces the future of Queen Elizabeth I as ruler of England, because she has a legitimate claim to the English throne. Betrayals, rebellions, conspiracies and their own life choices imperil both Queens. They experience the bitter cost of power, until their tragic fate is finally fulfilled.
What it’s like
Cool, candlelit interiors and wide, wind-scoured Scottish landscapes give this period drama a sober, painterly weight, with heavy stone, damp fabric and rich velvet doing much of the work. Josie Rourke's camera lingers on faces in close framing, so the two queens' expressions carry the tension, while the score leans on mournful strings and low drones rather than bombast. The pace is deliberate and talky, built around councils, letters and whispered alliances, with brief bursts of sudden violence that land hard and quickly. Its mood is austere and elegiac, a slow-burning chill with flashes of sharp, bitter wit. The emotional arc follows two strong-willed women caught between personal desire and political survival, and how each wears the cost of power. There is some brief but brutal violence, a few executions and a graphic-leaning death scene, and moments of intimate cruelty and threat. It suits a rainy evening with a glass of wine, or fans of costume drama who want a serious, character-driven story of rivalry and grief.
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