Yorgos Lanthimos’ most recent film, “Poor Things” won four Oscars and was the second most awarded film of the night behind “Oppenheimer.” The film won Best Production Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Costume Design, and Emma Stone won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance. After this sweep, I had to see the film. What I expected was a quirky journey through a Victorian world with stunning visuals, what I got was much, much more.
Our story follows Bella Baxter, a woman who lives incarcerated in her own home by her creator, Godwin Baxter, played expertly by Willem Dafoe. Godwin is a mad scientist who reanimated Bella back from the dead through an unexpected take on the classic Frankenstein tale. As the years pass, Bella’s mental state begins to grow gradually, but she is then set forth onto the world through the help of a sleazy lawyer who only sees her as a carnal consumer.
This film deals with topics such as female autonomy, discovery, and choice. Bella begins as naive, but as the film continues, she gains more knowledge about how the world works and questions her role in it, blazing her trail of enlightenment. This film, while having an excellent message for women, is not for the faint of heart. There is an abundance of sex scenes and nudity. If you can appreciate the sex scenes as an advancement of the plot and Bella’s growth, you will see that the film is a great philosophical treatise on the place of women in the world and how to regain one’s autonomy.
The performances were entrancing, with the standouts being Stone and Mark Ruffalo. Stone embodies Bella, showing her innocent state at the beginning and soon maturing into the powerful woman with the agency that she was destined to have. Ruffalo on the other hand is a pompous, lascivious, and virile man who steals every scene he is in. His character is one of the highlights of the year as he attempts to control Bella, but always cartoonishly falls flat on his face both physically and metaphorically. While God created Bella and can be arrogant and overbearing, he does genuinely care for Bella and is the closest thing she has to a father figure.
The design of the film is gorgeous with a steampunk Victorian London aesthetic that has the beginning filmed in black and white. As the world opens up to Bella, you can see color in all places as the sets look wonderful, showing modern yet old technology. An example of this is Godwin’s carriage which is a car but has a taxidermied horse head at the front of it. You can also see animals hybridized with other animals like a duck with the head of a dog. In the world of “Poor Things,” ordinary things are given a new life and perspective similar to our protagonist.
The cinematography was top-notch with many scenes being shot very awkwardly in the best way possible. Every scene lingered in the sense that you were not supposed to be there, but you were seeing every small minute detail and reaction which made it all the more relatable.
Overall, “Poor Things” is not a poor movie. It is rich with detail, plot, and amazing acting on all ends. This film is a visual trip in all senses of the word.
5 furious jumps out of 5.
