Review: ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
A game of chess is not the most interesting thing to watch. Most of it happens internally, with all of the excitement hinging on the anticipation of what move players are going to make next, a process that mostly takes place in their heads instead of in a flashy or tangible way. With an abundance of chess games taking place throughout its runtime and a lead character that could easily be perceived as repressed and distant, The Queen’s Gambit, based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, could have very easily befallen the same fate, too mechanical to be truly encapsulating. But thankfully, in director and screenwriter Scott Frank’s hands and thanks to a stunning performance from star Anya Taylor-Joy, it proves to be an enthralling experience and one of the best television shows of the year.
The Queen’s Gambit centers on Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy) who, after her mother’s untimely death, is sent to an orphanage in Kentucky run by the calculated Helen Deardorff (Christiane Seidel). The young Beth manages to establish unlikely friendships with fellow orphan Jolene (Moses Ingram) and the orphanage’s intimidating janitor Mr. Shaibel (Bill Camp), the latter who reluctantly takes her on as a chess prodigy. To get through her days, Beth finds herself relying on a mix of pills given to her by the orphanage to calm her down and soon develops an addiction to them. After getting adopted by Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller) and her distant husband, Beth embarks on a journey to become a worldwide chess champion, all while dealing with the fall out of her troubles with addiction.
Anya Taylor-Joy is absolutely sublime as the cold and aloof Beth. The role requires her to portray Beth in both adolescent and adulthood, and she does so convincingly, bringing a childlike curiosity to her teenage years and an icy sophistication to her adult ones. Taylor-Joy is an incredibly expressive actress, saying more with her eyes alone than her peers can do with lines of dialogue. Most of Beth’s battles are internal, her repression of her grief and trauma quietly bubbling up to the surface as the years pass by, and Taylor-Joy does a phenomenal job at expressing it in a visceral, cathartic manner, making sure that audiences are able to connect with Beth despite her internalized nature. Isla Johnston, who portrays the 8 year old version of Beth, does a formidable job at establishing the groundwork for the character, making it entirely convincing that she would grow up into Taylor-Joy’s version of the character as the years pass by.
Elsewhere, Marielle Heller, known mostly for her impressive directorial work, is magnetizing as Beth’s troubled adoptive mother, adding layers to a character that could have easily been a cartoonish villain in another actress’ hands. Harry Melling, who made a splash earlier this year with his fantastic work in The Devil All the Time, turns in another great performance here as competitive chess player Harry Beltik who builds a strong personal connection with Beth. Taylor-Joy and Melling have chemistry in spades and some of the best scenes in the show involve the two of them together. Newcomer Jacob Fortune-Lloyd manages to leave a strong impression as the mysterious Townes despite the fact that he’s only in a handful of scenes, establishing a haunting presence that casts a large shadow over the rest of the show and Beth herself.
Instead of adapting the novel as a conventional, by-the-numbers television drama, Frank instead portrays Beth’s journey in a hyper-stylized manner, framing her countless chess matches as stunning set pieces that will undoubtedly capture the audience’s attention. The production design also goes a long way in lending an air of authenticity to the show’s proceedings, capturing the bygone era in which the show takes place in a tangible way.
Much of the show’s promotional material has centered on Beth’s addiction problems. While Taylor-Joy does a great job at establishing the character’s addictive nature and personality, her addiction itself isn’t as prominent in the show overall, which is a true shame since it could have added some nuance and complexity to the proceedings. The show also ends up losing steam towards its final few episodes, the thrills and excitement established early on evaporating as Beth’s competitive nature winds down as she matures. Because of this, The Queen’s Gambit sticks out like a sore thumb among the rest of Netflix’s catalogue; it is a show to savor like a fine wine instead of binge outright. But overall, The Queen’s Gambit is a stunning work of art with an incredible performance from star Taylor-Joy that will undoubtedly place her at the forefront of the awards conversation.
Rating: 4/5
The Queen’s Gambit debuts on Netflix on October 23.