Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma, The New Mutants) gives a dazzling performance in The Queen’s Gambit, a new Netflix miniseries which also stars legendary actor Bill Camp (12 Years a Slave) and Jewish actress turned writer-director Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me).
Adapted by Scott Frank and Allan Scott from Walter Tevis's 1983 novel of the same name, this stylish fictional seven part series is set in the 1960s and focuses on the story of an orphan prodigy and her quest to become the world's greatest chess player.
Nine year-old Beth Harmon (Isla Johnston) is a quiet and unremarkable young girl living in an austere late 50s orphanage after the death of her troubled mother. Beth’s imagination is awakened by an encounter with Mr. Shaibel (a beautifully understated turn by Bill Camp), the school’s taciturn janitor who teaches her how to play chess in between classes. Soon, the young girl is beating him at his own game and making mincemeat of anyone who dares challenge her.
Years later, Beth (now played to perfection by Taylor-Joy) is adopted by the Wheatleys, a childless couple on the brink of divorce. Aged only 15, Beth enters and wins a local chess competition and soon becomes a word of mouth sensation. Accompanied by her now single mother (a scene-stealing turn by Heller), Beth travels from championship to championship whilst struggling with an addiction to drink and drugs that could ruin her chances at beating world number one player Vasily Borgov (Marcin Dorociński).
The Queen’s Gambit’s true genius lies not only in its hugely engaging and undeniably binge-worthy story, but also in the way it looks. With some gorgeously intricate period set pieces and an astounding attention to detail, this is truly one of the best and most handsomely made Netflix series of the year.
The series itself lives in this almost heightened reality which allows its main protagonist to have a beautifully fulling dream-like existence. It is also a series which manages to be both sexy and urgent without presenting any overly sexual content, which lets face it, isn’t the easiest thing to do nowadays.
Granted, a couple episodes towards to ends of the series feel unnecessarily padded out and a tad melodramatic, but this by no means takes away from its otherwise fresh and evocative overall feel.
Taylor-Joy is perfect in the role. Her eerily still and almost deadpan delivery, thanks partly to her striking and unusual l looks, are what drives this whole thing from start to finish. Elsewhere, Love Actually and Maze Runner star Thomas Brodie-Sangster gives a fantastic turn as chess master Benny Watts, one of Beth’s many competitors/admirers. While Harry Potter’s Harry Melling delivers yet another electrifying turn as the obnoxious self-assured player Harry Beltik.
Overall, creators Scott Frank and Allan Scott have managed the impossible here. They have succeeded in turning a story about one of the most docile and unglamorous sports into something truly magical and outstanding.
