The Queen’s Gambit

If you’re the type of cinephile who instinctively sees latent allegories embedded within production values such as wardrobe, lighting, flashbacks, character insinuations, timeline, and overall casting, scriptwriting, and direction, then you should probably now understand why having binge-watched Queen’s Gambit in one sitting hardly took an ounce of effort.

Apart from its historical accuracy and short of genius cinematography, this Netflix series based on a fictional woman chess prodigy played by Anya Taylor Joy is an astounding feat of strong characterization more than anything else.

Taylor Joy’s exemplary performance is a once-in-a-lifetime role that took years for her to manage. Our protagonist, who, was once bullied in real life for her seemingly estranged facial structures and refused to look at a mirror for years finally cements her place as one of Hollywood’s elite thespian A-listers.

It also highlights the industry’s atypical casting of Taylor Joy from the common conventions of the pretty woman role. Although I have to admit, I went from she’s not my type- to – Now she fuckable- as I breezed through different timelines of her role. Seeing her grow more classy and sophisticated towards the end.

Her character, Elizabeth Harmon, an orphan child chess prodigy who rose from the ranks of a male-dominated game provides a veritable study in cultural feminism.

Her all-white wardrobe topped with what looks like a chess queen-inspired headpiece in the final episode where she defeats then unbeatable Russian grandmaster, Borkov is an allusion to her rise in power and domination. Probably, one of the best final acts I’ve seen in years.

Now don’t be surprised should you want to re-watch the whole series right away. It is, and I’m sorry for a lack of a better word, that good. It exceeds expectations as every little detail, scene, and dialogue is riveting and replay-worthy in all aspects.

And it really doesn’t matter if you understand the game or not. The success of the story lies in its characters.

An exemplary tale of a game of men made sexually palatable by a woman as we follow her ascent and rise over the realities of a patriarchal society, her inner demons, and for the chess-playing demography, the people’s awareness of fate.

This Netflix period drama probably has the most perfect opening game, middle game, and end game that anyone could find in its docket of shows. The online streaming giant has confirmed that it is officially the most-watched limited series on their global platform! Truly, an elegant work of art that deserves every film lover’s attention.