The Queen's Gambit

The Queen's Gambit (2020) 

I've never played chess in my life, yet I decided to watch The Queen's Gambit, mainly because of the enthusiastic reactions and the participation of Anya Taylor-Joy, whom I've always liked in her roles. Although the world of chess is double Dutch to me, I let myself drift on the moves on the checkered board for six and a half hours, watching the incredible story of a young girl who experiences what it's like to be at the top, but also at the bottom. I loved the non-linear plot structure, which intertwined the present day with childhood memories, so that the viewer is provided with the individual pieces of the puzzle that make up the "complex picture" of the main character in purposefully small doses. I was intrigued by the depiction of the chess game in Beth's head and its subsequent projection on the ceilings. The creators managed to incorporate several still relevant themes into the story in a tasteful and believable way – alcoholism, drugs, family and love relationships, and relations between world powers – and as a result The Queen’s Gambit takes on a much broader scope than the "8x8 board" (which for some it may mean basically the whole world). It was fascinating to watch the development and coming of age of the main character and her interaction with other people who have influenced her in various ways in her (at times very winding and thorny) journey through life. I have no complaints about the cast, as I think everyone involved played their roles almost perfectly and grabbed a more or less memorable scene for themselves. Last but not least, I have to praise the production design, the costumes and the overall artistic styling of the individual scenes, which take you back in time several decades, while making it look natural and believable. You almost feels tempted to learn chess after watching it and thus penetrate the secrets of Sicilian defences and queen’s gambits. (02/05/2021)