I have a penchant for directors who’s very obvious styling choices are bombastic and risk-taking. These filmmakers take big wild swings with every new film, and are never deterred by its success or failure. They have a clear vision and the confidence to bring it to life, and are always pushing the boundaries of cinema and storytelling. Yorgos Lanthimos is that kind of filmmaker, the kind that from its first image you know you’re about to watch a Lanthimos film. “Poor Things” may be his most audacious film to date. That’s saying a lot considering his filmography, but while being so out there even for him, this is Lanthimos at his most accessible despite being is most unusual. This is a wonderful world of weird, packed to brim with stunning production design, laugh out loud humor, an odyssey of self reclamation and a sexual awakening with lots and lots and LOTS of sex.
If you’re one of those “we don’t need sex in movies” puritans, then I’ll save you the trouble of guessing and just say that “Poor Things” is not for you. This is a feminist reimagining of Frankenstein’s monster, but told with such empathy and powerful commentary paired with a knock out lead performance from Emma Stone that it’s hard not to love. It is the hard R version of “Barbie” in a lot of ways, with the core themes of both films being almost identical but “Poor Things” going to places that “Barbie” wouldn’t ever dare to even approach.
For everything it has to offer by way of dazzling steampunk futuristic imagery, fish eye lenses, and completely committed performers, this is a genuine blast that uses its audacious filmmaking to create a one of a kind experience that maintains all of Lanthimos’ most indulgent tendencies while being one of his most inviting worlds he’s every put on screen.
Loosely based on a 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray of the same name, “Poor Things” is a reunion of creators, with Lanthimos at the helm and a script from Tony McNamara, cinematography from Robbie Ryan, and starring Emma Stone who all worked together on 2018’s “The Favourite.” You can tell that this team is meant to make movies together, with all of their talents being utilized to the max. The addition of production designers James Price and Shona Heath is the icing on the cake, both of whom seem completely dialed into the vision of the world and how to bring it to vibrant, almost otherworldly life. A Frankenstein story at heart, the film follows Bella Baxter, an experiment created by scientist Godwin Baxter who has the brain of a child in a fully grown woman’s body. Bella begins to develop rapidly, and once she discovers the pleasures of the flesh, decides it’s time for her to go out on her own and explore the world. Despite protests, she embarks on an adventure with scoundrel Duncan Wedderburn and slowly begins to see the world as it is, as men want it to be, and how she chooses to be in it. The film also stars Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, and Christopher Abbott.
This is Lanthimos at his most unhinged, but also may be his most focused and empathetic? It is an example of auteur given permission to execute his absurd vision anyway he sees fit and then maximizing the opportunity to indulge all of his weirdest tendencies while simultaneously making a genuine crowd pleaser. Sure, this is driven by graphic sex and sexuality, but not only is it to the story but empowering to the woman who’s story we’re telling. For all its furious jumping and sexualizing of Bella, she never loses her sense of self nor her innocence. That may sound strange; a hyper sexually driven woman who experiences all forms of sex on her own terms somehow remains pure and innocent, but Lanthimos and McNarmara paired with Stone’s committed performance allow these seemingly opposing ideas to flourish and exist in harmony.
Bella may be young of mind and experiencing the world for the first time, but “Poor Things” constantly returns control over herself to HER rather than relinquish it to the men who constantly attempt to take it from her.
Bella runs the gamut of men, too. From the god man who wants to control her, to the simp who wants to marry her, to the fuckboy buffoon who wants to possess her sex and body, to the alpha male toxic masculinity, parading himself as a powerful man with nothing but cruelty and lineage in his heart. Everything serves to tell this part of the story, namely Bella’s journey of identity and discover. Everything from the fish eyed lens to be interpreted as the limited view of the world through a child’s eyes, the steampunk futurism meant to convey how strange the world must look when you’re looking at it for the first time, to the black and white color pallet of the first act to the injection of vibrant color the more Bella discovers about her surroundings. The film wastes nothing to tell its story, and however bold the choices that are made all feel purposeful and born out of the confidence of its director.
Like I said, “Poor Things” goes where “Barbie” wishes it could. That’s a compliment to both films, as they are both about identity and empowerment and discovery that everything you ever needed to understand who you are was inside of you all along, and you belong to you and you alone regardless of what men say or want from you. None of this could be possible without Stone, who is simply mesmerizing. Lanthimos has found his muse, beginning with “The Favourite” and culminating here. Stone’s uncanny ability to make the transformation of Bella feel organic while imbuing her with naivety, innocence, rebellion, and self reclamation as she grows in both intelligence and experience. Stone makes some incredible choices here. Everything from her awkward movements, in development vocabulary and awkward cadence that sounds like a child imitating an adult language, it is one of Stone’s most physical and challenging performances. Bella (and frankly all of this film conceptually) is really easy to get wrong, requiring a tricky balance of a multifaceted character who must be in a constant state of development while also maintaining her endearing nature that invites us to follow the odyssey of Bella Baxter.
Stone understood the assignment and throws herself completely into Bella. Sure, the Best Actress category is as crowded as ever, but her work here is a clear frontrunner for a win. She’s THAT good. She’s also accompanied by a terrific supporting cast, particularly Willem Dafoe (who really doesn’t miss) and Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo in particular is a standout, demonstrating a level of comedic chops I honestly didn’t know he had. Wedderburn is a scoundrel in every sense of the word, and Ruffalo just goes for it. He’s so over the top- donning a British accent that sounds like a 12 year old attempting one and overexaggerating nearly every single movement and line delivery. And in the context of this film, this is exactly the kind of zany, melodramatic comedy that is required to make the character work. Every single interaction with Stone and Ruffalo is a hoot, with both of them so committed to their roles they disappear completely.
Though it probably won’t garner too many awards, Ruffalo’s work in “Poor Things” is some of his best work to date. Though not granted a lot of screen time, both Kathryn Hunter and Christopher Abbott chew through their own scenery in sort of surprise cameo roles. They couldn’t be more different in how they fit into the overall narrative, but make the most of their limited screen time in all the best ways you would want from two terrific performers.
Though this is a stellar, focused, and visionary delight of a film, it does start to overstay its welcome. It runs a little long, and struggles with some pacing issues towards the end of the second act and into the third. It becomes a little repetitive despite being engrossed in the journey and performances, especially once we get to Paris and into the film’s conclusion. It definitely has some drags as it starts to bring it all together, and it does hold “Poor Things” back from being perfect cinema. There’s also some concerns surrounding its portrayal of sex work, approaching it with a more surface level examination rather than getting into the complexities of it, particularly in early 19th century Paris. Of course it’s framed as yet another avenue for Bella to fully claim her own sexuality, but I can see how people can be put off by its framework and have some misgivings on how well it gets that particular message across.
Overall, it is a delightfully demented journey through a weird world of food, self actualization and lots and lots of furious jumping. The film is hilarious and smart, a beautiful collaboration of expert filmmakers and award winning performances. “Poor Things” may be a craft heavy film and requires a tuning to Lanthimos and his filmmaking style, but nothing is wasted and if you’re willing to let go of the puritan mindset of sex and allow this wild world to take over you, it will dazzle and resonate with you, and is certainly one of the best films of the year and a must see.
Any film that allows me to add furious jumping to my daily vernacular is a winner in my book.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
“Poor Things” is now playing in select theaters. It will have a wide release on Dec 22nd. You can watch the trailer below.
