By Gary

I will start by saying The Lost King is based on a true story, so I am not going to worry as much about spoilers, plus the trailer gives away the ending.

The synopsis says: “An amateur historian defies the stodgy academic establishment in her efforts to find King Richard III’s remains, which were lost for over 500 years.”

The Lost King is a very English film.

In 2012, having been lost for over 500 years, the remains of King Richard III were discovered beneath a carpark in Leicester.

This film is based on the story of one of the searchers and brought some controversy before it’s release.

The search had been orchestrated by an amateur historian, Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins), whose unrelenting research had been met with incomprehension by her friends and family and with scepticism by experts and academics.

Sally Hawkins gives a really moving and real performance; Philippa Langley also suffers from ME which was well portrayed in this movie.

The inclusion of her “visions” of King Richard could have been badly handled but here it lends both humour and pathos and it’s a nice touch.

Steve Coogan is great in an easy-going supporting performance.

Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Starring Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge), Harry Lloyd (The Theory of Everything), James Fleet (The Vicar of Dibley), Mark Addy (Game of Thrones).

My Rating: 8/10