Alma, picked up as a clumsy waiter and turned into a model and girlfriend, ignores danger sign from the first date. The foreshadowing of the poisonous mushrooms is so obvious it's painful, and the awful behaviour of Reynolds had me saying "kill him!" out loud on multiple occasions. The lack of consquences that any character faces for their abuse of each other is frustrating.

Reynolds treats everyone around him like garbage and Alma especially. The times that she is gaslit, dismissed and treated like a stranger increase, even as their relationship strengthens. A glimmer of romance is dangled in the New Years party, but instead of his character having growth or redemption, Reynolds drags Alma away like a naughty child. Kill him, I urged. But no, lackluster plot and horrifying romance prevailed, and she seeks to make him fall in love with her. Unsatisfyingly, we sort of stumble to an end.

Feeling very unfinished, we are told that he is okay with her Munchausen's plan and also they somehow live happily ever after. Forgotten is the rivalry with Reynold's sister, forgotten the chance of death, and forgotten the fact that his good behaviour post-poisoning was far from permanant. A barely-romanticised abusive relationship and an abrupt ending, and I wonder how this film got all the accolades it did. 

Director Yorgos Lanthimos also directed notably weird films The Killing of the Sacred Deer, The Lobster, and Dogtooth. His style comes through with the title cards, one titled "This Mud Stinks" and another "I Dreamed I Stabbed You In The Eye", and some enchantingly wide-angle lens shots distorting rooms and people. The title cards and credits have an interesting ultimately-justified spacing choice, separating letters to the edges of lines; aesthetically good but unfortunately unreadable.

The story is of contrasts; the soft and kindhearted Abigail and her dark life, Abigail's kindness and the cruelness of those around her, her kindness and her descent into cruelty; the kindness and cruelty of Sarah to both Abigail and Queen Anne; the mix of love and abuse between the couples; the tragedy and rage of Queen Anne; the difference between the cousins Sarah and Abigail in their fight to be the titular favourite of Queen Anne.

The tragedy of Queen Anne's character is masterfully depicted by Olivia Colman. The pain of her disability and seventeen lost children strongly affect her actions and explain to us, the audience, her otherwise irrational behaviour. Even as she dismisses important issues and hurts people for her own gain, she is a sad figure clearly acting out of pain. Her transferred motherly affection to her rabbits is mistreated by her lovers, and the moment near the end where Abigail cruelly presses on one rabbit with her foot was shocking to me; the callousness Sarah has towards Anne's lost children was an early indicator she was not also wholly on the side of the Queen.

Other animal abuse shown is the repeated motif of Sarah and Abigail shooting birds together; one moment has a bird shot too close and blood spatter on white clothing. While not too gory, there is also a scene of a horse riding accident and the battered face it gives the victim. The sexual content also teeters around the concept of consent, and both the word and concept of rape are thrown wantonly by characters (but not out of story context). The strange title cards are also sudden and the music deliberately jarring; while far from arthouse, it was surprising to see such a weird film in the cinema.

There are long, uncomfortable close ups with no action to highlight long, uncomfortable silences, and the film just ends with a sudden cut after a long build up. The music also ends mid credits, leaving the way for ambient sounds; both the ending and this lack of music makes you feel more is coming, but there is no post credit scene. The story being told is complete but, as life and history, it carries on after the narrative.

With strong, engaging themes, this is either the weirdest film you will enjoy or a pleasant jump into history or romance for your weirdness. Apart from the historical realism enforcing secrecy and shame, the lesbian theme is casual and the female characters take the foreground and strong and successful - the cheating is more shocking than the fact they are both women, and class is more of a factor than gender, with the male characters nonplussed to treat women as intellectually and power-wise as equal players.

This received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actor (Female), Best Supporting Actor (Female) twice, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. It deserves them, as it really is outstanding. The big screen is best for those warping wide angles, so catch it in the cinema while you can.

I'll get it out of the way; one of Wade's wisecracks is to a super-strong woman, and he "calls wang" on her surprising strength. It's blink and you'll miss it, and he is just throwing relentless insults to rile his enemies up, but it is there and it is disappointing. It is the only issue I noticed, however, so its still a rare gem in mainstream cinema. The gore is all over the place, including Deadpool cutting off his own hand and the gross view of his suited up broken hands and foot flopping around. It's all in context, but hide if you're squeamish.

Deadpool's cancer, injuries and low points in life give us a taste of the depth his character has in the comics. We see the humour covering his emotional pain, we see the way he's grown used to the pain but still feels it, and we see that him being a rude, sexual serial murderer and him being a sweet friend and champion of the underdog are complimenting characteristics.

If you haven't heard of Deadpool, this is a fantastic introduction that throws a complex and different type of superhero character right in your face from the get-go. You should be ashamed and go look him up, but you can go straight ahead and watch this film. If you do know Deadpool, whether you vaguely know him as that sweary guy who talks to the reader or you have a poster of that time he made all those pancakes on your bedroom wall, you'll be seeing something worth seeing.

In relation to the time he made all those pancakes, the only other superhero characters in the film are two X-Men, and a reference is made to Cable in the post-credit scene. In the hope of sequels, there is hope for characters such as Spiderman and his relationship with him. 

The romance subplot is a well-fitting subplot and the driving force behind the main plot; he takes the risky cancer treatment for the sake of his love interest and she is his a major part of his planned goal. It made for the perfect alternative Valentine's Day film, and it'll be a great date-night movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. It's a great superhero film too, so don't worry about your own love interest. As the viewer, you're focused on the man in the red suit anyway.

The soundtrack, all by Cat Stevens, complements it perfectly; you'll walk away from this film with 'If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out' happily stuck in your head. Just as the song gives a bettering message, the viewer can be bettered by Maude along with Harold. The abandon that she enjoys life with is contagious and her reckless antics with make you giggle at the very least. Watching her borrow Harold's car may even be the highlight of the film.

Likewise, the dark comedy of Harold's suicides are as funny as they are awful. The sight of his mother completely ignoring the fact that he appears to be dead, carrying on with conversation and chores as if he were simply reading a book, reflects his disinterest in the serious adult aspects of life. At the end of the film he may or may not be ready, but he certainly has a new outlook on life.

This film deserves its cult classic status, and is definitely worth at least one viewing. Even if you don't like it, you can tick it off the list.