An amateur historian seeks to spread the truth about King Richard III in The Lost King. Philippa Langley (Sally Hawkins) is a middle-aged woman at a crossroads, who one night takes her kids to a production of Shakespeare's “Richard III” while her separated husband John (Steve Coogan) goes out on a date. Philippa begins to greatly sympathize with the character of Richard III (Harry Lloyd), an apparition of whom she begins seeing daily. Philippa soon connects with the Richard III Society, who hope to dispel the myth, supported by Shakespeare, that the king was a tyrannical usurper of the throne.
The Lost King is the latest film directed by Stephen Frears (Philomena), who reunites with his Oscar-nominated screenwriting team of Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope. The film is based on the true story of Philippa Langley, whose research into the truth about Richard III led to the 2012 unearthing of the late king's remains. Philippa fights to have her search taken seriously, with her eventually getting assistance in the excavation by University of Leicester archeologist Richard Buckley (Mark Addy).
Stephen Frears reteams with Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope to deliver another true inspirational story, nearly a decade after their previous collaboration Philomena resulted in four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The Lost King is built entirely around the lead performance of Sally Hawkins as Philippa Langley, whose search for the truth about Richard III becomes almost an obsession. The most interesting addition to this story is how Phillippa is guided by an apparition of Richard III, played by Harry Lloyd. With Philippa dealing with a mix of sexism and bureaucracy, The Lost King has a somewhat bittersweet conclusion but is an inspiring story about the search for the truth.
