Poor Things
Emma Stone finds the joy of being an ungovernable woman in Yorgos Lanthimos’ absurdist masterpiece
Emma Stone toasts breaking the patriarchy in Yorgos Lanthimos' absurdist film Poor Things.
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) was born fully grown in the lab of Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). And though she had to learn to walk and talk like any child, her unique upbringing among Godwin’s other experiments meant that she didn’t grow up like most women. Bella has no sense of politeness, confidently saying what she thinks and feels whenever it suits her. She also has no sense of shame — she enjoys nudity and sex in equal measure.
Godwin is thrilled with his most impressive project, encouraging Bella’s scientific mind and cataloging her every action. But the lab isn’t a big enough place for Bella, who longs to see the world. When she finally gets a chance to leave her little home, Bella realizes she isn’t as prepared for the world as she believes herself to be.
And the world is certainly not ready for Bella Baxter.
Based on the book by Alasdair Gray, think of Poor Things as an arthouse version of Barbie. Both are about women leaving weird, seemingly idyllic places to embrace a more complex existence. Both have meticulously beautiful production design, a bold feminist call to arms, and killer outfits. The movies also have their fair share of Kens trying to bring the lead character down.
Absurd, satiric, and surprisingly touching, Poor Things is a brilliant twist on the Frankenstein story we all know. Instead of a pitiable monster, Godwin (called God by Bella) has created something truly frightening to man — an ungovernable woman. Bella delights in sex, doesn’t understand when men try to shame her, consumes all experiences voraciously, and acts with almost radical confidence and kindness as she navigates the world. As a result, men practically line up to “put her in her place”. Lovers long to control her, male friends attempt to hurt her by crumbling her worldview, and even her beloved Godwin attempts to keep her isolated. But Bella has never been raised with a sense of patriarchal self-loathing, so any and all attempts to control her just roll off her back.
Yes, the real world is hard. Yes, Bella will have to change and grow with every new thing she learns. But instead of fear, Bella meets those facts with confidence.
Director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for films that feature an almost cunning cruelty to them. Lanthimos, who directed The Killing of a Sacred Deer and The Favorite, typically deals with complex, often unlikeable people who are tested (and usually fail) by uncaring fate. In Poor Things, Lanthimos seems to soften a little as he navigates the story. It’s clear he’s fond of Bella and sees her as the hero of her own story. This fondness, however, doesn’t dull Lanthimos’ bite as he tears into everything from patriarchal views on sex to the nasty futility of cynicism. He navigates this absurdist romp with a deft hand, swinging from shocking scenes to adorable silly antics. The result is a film that’s almost giddy as it explores the world it’s created.
And what a world it is. Looking like a steampunk version of a Merchant Ivory film, Poor Things offers us sky trams, weirdo machines, and puff sleeves at every turn. What more could a girl want? Each step in Bella’s journey seems to add a new element of color to her world. We start in Godwin’s black and white lab, with amazing critters (ever wanted to see a pig-duck?) but a limited palette. As Bella experiences the world outside, each new stage introduces more and more color. There are the frosty blues of London and the warm reds of the Mediterranean — each locale adds a bit more to her rainbow of experience. It’s a bold, beautiful take on the bildungsroman genre.
Lanthimos is also fairly pointed about the men and women Bella encounters. He may find Bella sweet, but he reserves his casually cruel incisive gaze for those who surround her. Mark Ruffalo’s Wedderburn encapsulates every classic literature lothario from Wickam to Christian Grey. Ramy Youssef’s McCandles is a sweet but boring good guy whom Bella consents to marry only when she’s done having sex with other people. The reward for Bella is never male attention, it’s new life experience and perhaps an orgasm. Unsurprisingly, this is upsetting to the men in the film who view marriage and children as the ultimate prize for any woman.
And while Lanthimos’ precise attention to story and visuals is key to setting the scene, Stone makes Poor Things a marvel. Tasked with showing Bella’s growth from a barely verbal child to a woman of the world, Stone delivers. Bella is charming, bold, and utterly unshackled by social niceties. Without the millstone of respectability hanging around her neck she’s free to do and experience as she pleases. It’s a radical performance and one that Stone revels in.
While Poor Things is a feast of metaphor and cinematography, like most works of art, it won’t be for everyone. If you’re disturbed by sex, don’t like absurdist stories, or thought Barbie was “too woke”, you may want to skip this flick. But this reviewer loves a movie that boldly leaps off a cliff in the name of the new and interesting. Poor Things not only stuck the landing, but it’s my pick for the best movie of 2023.
Verdict: My pick for movie of the year, go see Poor Things on the big screen and get swept away by this feminist Frankenstein.
Poor Things is rated R and available in theaters December 15.
