Poor Things
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Screenwriter: Tony McNamara
Based on: Poor Things, by Alasdair Gray
Cinematographer: Robbie Ryan
Production Companies: Film4, Element Pictures, TSG Entertainment
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: 8 December 2023
Runtime: 2 hours 21 minutes
MPA Rating: R
Availability: Theaters
Synopsis
Yorgos Lanthimos brings Alasdair Gray’s Victorian female twist on Frankenstein to the big screen in Poor Things. The film centers on the curious case of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a deceased corpse whose been reanimated with the brain of a newborn by Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Bella spends a bit of time around Godwin’s estate developing cognitively, with the doctor’s assistant Max (Remi Youseff) closely documenting her progress. However, yearning to explore the outside world, Bella soon joins the pompous lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) on his trip to Lisbon. The trip will turn into a journey of self-discovery for Bella, filled with wonder, color, joy, adversity, comedy, and the occasional act of violence.
Oh yeah, and sex. Lots of it.
Analysis
The stellar performances of Poor Things are the film’s biggest selling point. Leading the pack is Emma Stone. The incredible range that she demonstrates makes each stage of Bella’s development authentic and distinct. Stone also makes Bella’s transition believable by expertly replacing absurd aspects of Bella’s nature with more complex layers. You therefore end up having a clear understanding of who Bella is by the end of the film, and can easily trace her development from start to finish. While Stone excellently depicts the evolution of Bella, Mark Ruffalo shows the hilarious devolution of Wedderburn. The actor’s decision to play the character over-the-top has tremendous comedic effect: Wedderburn’s arrogance in the first half of the film will have you incredulous, while his impulsiveness and childishness in the latter half will leave you both cringing and laughing. Dafoe’s performance as Godwin is also memorable. The actor is able to show Godwin’s internal struggle between being dispassionate scientist and caring adoptee father so well that for me, it made Godwin the most sympathetic character.
But with all due respect to the actors, McNamara’s script gives them a lot of great material to work with. The play-like writing of dialogue brought a richness to conversations that had me hanging on to every word. The dialogue also never lost me, despite the prose and types of topics discussed. I also enjoyed the ever-shifting tone of the film; while most of the film is played straight, brief moments of absurd humor and violence breathe chaotic life onto the screen and get me to pay more attention.
Lastly, Poor Things’ technical elements do an excellent job at bringing the fantastical 19th-centuray Victorian setting to life. Being shot on film gives the movie a vintage, classic Hollywood feel; there are also several tracking shots that make certain sequences feel surreal. The movie’s (water)color palette is ever evolving, giving each part of the film its own tone and the overall movie a story-time feel. The set design further makes the movie feel like a storybook, with the combination of the real and fantastical reminding me a lot of Tim Burton films. The costumes also gave each character a classy look and placed me more into the time period.
However, I’m a bit conflicted about the overall story. I was completely onboard with Bella as she went on her adventure of self-discovery – all the while never trying to conform to society. That being said, I had a lot trouble trying to determine what the overall message of the movie was. Any potential message wasn’t obvious to me, and I haven’t been able to find an official explainer online. I don’t think I’m reading too much into the story (the movie is clearly trying to say something), which is why I would be disappointed if I found out that that the director truly wasn’t trying to say anything. Other complaints I have about the story include unnecessary plot points in the latter half and an ending that feels way too on-the-nose. So in the end I was left wondering, “What was that all about?”
Conclusion
To conclude, Poor Things is a well-acted and well-crafted fantastical tale of a maturing woman forging her own path in society. The film’s strengths are obvious, though I found the lack of a clear message a bit jarring. (But that’s likely more of a “me” thing.) Make sure to check this out when you get the chance, preferably with a crowd.