THE LOST KING
WORLD
UK 2022, 108 min, Director: Stephen Frears
In 2004, Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins, Spencer, MVFF44) takes her son to see a production of Richard III. She becomes intrigued by the story of the malformed king who, per Shakespeare’s play, was a “usurper” to the throne. The deeper Langley dives into the history of the disgraced regent, the more she believes that a posthumous Tudor smear campaign sullied his good name. She vows to discover Richard’s unknown burial site and restore his reputation. No one believes her—until, after suffering the sneers and insults of scholars, the mockery of city officials, and the bewilderment of friends and loved ones, she convinces archeologists to dig up a car park in Leicester. The rest is history, and legendary British director Stephen Frears recounts this stranger-than-fiction shaggy-dog story with an eye toward placing its real hero front and center—with help from the extraordinary Hawkins. It’s a restoration tale in more ways than one. —David Fear
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