I’m sure we all know this, but here’s a reminder just in case. There are literally infinite ways to be a nerd. While yes, a majority of nerdom is often what media portrays: Star Wars fans, Trekkies, Whovians, Potterheads, every flavor of anime weeb. But let’s face it, you can nerd out about anything! (Yes, hard-core sports fans, I’m absolutely including you in this.) No matter how old you are, or where you are in life, a random subject can come along and begin to occupy your mind so much that you can’t help but to research every aspect of it, and eventually seek out others who share your interest.

The Lost King is a film that portrays a perfect example of this happening — and very closely based on a real life story. Phillipa Langley (Sally Hawkins) finds herself very undervalued, having been denied a much deserved promotion in her marketing career, as well as dealing with her dismissive teenaged sons and ex husband John (Steve Coogan, who also co-wrote the script along with John Pope.) Upon having a strong reaction to watching a live performance of Shakespeare’s “Richard III”, Phillipa begins to see the “apparition” of the King Richard III (Harry Lloyd), and begins to think he wasn’t the evil, miss-shapen usurper that history would portray him as. Further research over her new obsession would lead her into missing work, and eventually joining the local branch of the Richard III Society, a sort of fan club of individuals who feel the same way about the king as herself. Not satisfied with merely being a fan, Phillipa learns that Richard’s body was never found. Through the help of historians and her “gut feelings”, she’s able to pinpoint a location she believes Richard’s remains are buried: under a carpark in Leicester. Now she must do the impossible: get the funding, the city’s permission, and convince a team of archeologists to dig in the location to find these remains.

As mentioned earlier, this is a story in which a very specific nerd-dom is taken to extreme measures. When a fan of something goes down an extreme path, it can often end…badly, either with them destroying their own lives or causing a measure of harm or discomfort for others. The Lost King, especially if you go into it not knowing how the events play out, certainly sets up Phillipa in this way. I both have empathy for Phillipa, and those closest to her who are witnessing her descent into obsession. I get it, there is a certain level of cringe you get when someone is a little too interested in a specific topic, especially if they have a controversial take on said topic.
On the other hand, this film did an excellent job making me feel the pure frustration this woman went to, just to be heard and believed. Sally Hawkins once again delivers an excellent performance portraying a woman with a disability (Phillipa has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) who develops a special interest that no one understands at first, this time with a dead king instead of an aquatic humanoid. Besides the occasional conversations Phillipa has with the apparition of Richard III, this film has an extremely realistic and grounded quality to it. So much so, that I feel the second-hand frustration over all of the red tape she must battle more than in most stories. This film is a sharp reminder that it is doubly hard to be believed in an academic subject matter as a woman.

While the film’s grounded realism can definitely be seen as a plus for those who want an accurate portrayal of the real life events, it may be a drawback for others. I can see how many casual movie watchers may find this one on the slow side, if they could even get into the topic at all. Truth be told, I can already see high school history teachers wheeling out a tv (wait, do they still do that?), and playing this for a class that may or may not pay attention. In other words, if you don’t really care about Richard III or the discovery of a 500 year old missing body, or at the very least a woman fighting to be believed, The Lost King may be a bit of a trudge to watch.

As a casual general history nerd, I can at least say I appreciated both this film’s existence and its accuracy in which they depicted the events its portraying. While it may not be the most exciting watch I could recommend to anyone, The Lost King is a great reminder that we all have it in us to be nerds in some way. If you have someone who comes up to you, bursting at the seams to talk about their new special interest, be nice and listen to them for a while. You never know how much the encouragement could inspire them to contribute to society for the better.