Poor Things (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Poor Things' (adapted from a comic novel by Tony McNamara & directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, of The Lobster & The Favourite) is an unhinged, audacious, startling, & surprisingly humorous gothic faerie tale that unfolds in a highly bizarre alternate reality where facially-deformed, Frankenstein-like scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter (aka 'God', played by Willem Dafoe) has discovered the secret of re-animating dead bodies. Set in Victorian England {sort of}, director Lanthimos has taken liberties with many aspects of life as we know it; hyper-stylizing various settings in the plot {London, Lisbon, Paris, a cruise ship}. Rather than going for painstaking authenticity, Lanthimos uses great artistic license to emphasize the unreality of the tale.
Dr. Baxter's prized experiment is one, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who he takes a paternal role to. The original Bella - morbidly depressed Victoria Blessington - had committed suicide while pregnant. Dr. Baxter was able to remove the brain of her unborn baby & implant it in its mother. When the film opens, he is in the process of teaching this woman/toddler {Bella} the basics of language & mobility. For assistance, he recruits eager young medical student, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), who takes a log of Bella's progress ... while falling in love with her in the process. Once she is adequately independent to talk for herself, she agrees to Max's sweet proposal of marriage; but under one condition ... she wants to see & experience the world.
All-too-enthusiastic to help her in this adventure is Baxter's smarmy, debauched lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), who intends to use her for sex. But things do not go quite as planned. Bella stuns Duncan by being sexually insatiable & hedonistic {wearing him out in the process}. And in a reversal, he falls in love with her ... while SHE views him as little more than a vessel to provide carnal pleasure. As they traverse continental Europe, Bella loses more & more interest in the increasingly mental Duncan; all the while, she explores her swelling sexuality & grows exponentially in her intellect. But just when Bella thinks she has a grasp on this world, someone from her dark past comes to disrupt everything. Chaos, tragedy & redemption ensues.
Holy moly, is this one darkly comical, enticingly raunchy movie to experience. Lanthimos is the type of director whose signature style is so over-the-top that you're either along for his zany cinematic ride ... or you exit stage left. Tony McNamara's script blends witty humor with sex-&-violence to reveal truths about human kind. 'Poor Things' is many things at once. Just to name a few: it's a visually astounding story about a woman bucking the trends of society, finding herself, & ultimately liberating herself from various confines; it can be viewed as a feminist take on the 'daughter of Frankenstein' story; and it is also her epic odyssey of learning about all things academically {geography, philosophy, socialism, sex}, as well as her purpose in life.
This movie is also as contra-Puritanical as you can get; with much frontal nudity from both sexes, and loads of down-&-dirty sex acts. That said, for me, the nudity is not gratuitous. Rather, it is actual character development for Bella; who is rapidly aging from tantrum-fueled toddler to grown-up, all while being in an adult body. It is refreshing to see a character such as her not showing any shame about her body or in exploring her pleasures. To that, Emma Stone is a marvel as the free-spirited, uninhibited Bella Baxter. Bella is easily Stone's most physically & emotionally challenging role of her career; exhibiting stark comedic AND dramatic skills that, quite simply, blow her other performances out of the water -- and I say this as a huge fan of her acting.
Mark Ruffalo is the PERFECT comedic foil for Stone; giving us an utterly pompous, egotistical sex hound who has met his match in Bella Baxter. Watching her turn the tables & debase Duncan time after time is hysterical; all due to the over-the-top, humorously pathetic way in which Ruffalo plays him. Under mounds of excellent scar prosthetic make-up, Willem Dafoe is excellent as 'God', the eccentric, flawed 'creator of the monster' scientist, who also happens to have a soft side -- he's the beating heart of the story. Ramy Youssef impresses as the sweet, lovelorn medical student who, not unlike us - the audience - must quickly learn about Bella on the fly. Kathryn Hunter packs a punch as the Parisian brothel madam who teaches Bella some sociology. Legendary German actress, Hanna Schyulla, plays a quirky ship passenger who teaches Bella a thing or two about philosophy. And Christopher Abbott makes an impression as a sadistic officer with a startling link to Bella/Victoria.
Visually, 'Poor Things' is an otherworldly feast. The early scenes - confined to the cloistered laboratory/estate - are a mercurial wonder {with hybrid creatures, oddball props, strange angled rooms, etc.} and, the fact that it is filmed in black-&-white adds to the bizarre nature of the setting. Then, once Bella embarks on her adventure {the ornate cruise ship, an alternate reality Lisbon, an over-accentuated Paris}, we are treated to a vibrantly colorful array of inventive sights. Aiding all of this are Holly Waddington's astounding 19th c. costumes designs which, again, are familiar to us ... but with a twist. Robbie Ryan's camerawork, the make-up {corpses, deformities}, and a unique blend of both practical & CGI effects all enhance what we're watching.
'Poor Things' is not for the faint of heart {animals with human heads & vice-versa, stronggg sexuality, loads of profanity}, but I'd say that more cultivated viewers & prestige-loving cinephiles would get the most out of this. The comedy is bold, sometimes gruesome, and the whole thing is one wackadoo jaunt, and yet ... the film also has something to say. One can glean that the film is about the importance of a woman having control of her body. It's also a fairly non-agnostic; which is interesting. And it's about having individuality & freedom of expression. Really, 'Poor Things' is just a breath of fresh air. Though I think it overstays its welcome a bit and, I don't love every plot component ... there is NO doubt that 'Poor Things' blows away the miasma of by-the-numbers mainstream flicks & self-pretentious art films that clog up the theaters every week. Creativity wins the day with this film.
Dr. Baxter's prized experiment is one, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who he takes a paternal role to. The original Bella - morbidly depressed Victoria Blessington - had committed suicide while pregnant. Dr. Baxter was able to remove the brain of her unborn baby & implant it in its mother. When the film opens, he is in the process of teaching this woman/toddler {Bella} the basics of language & mobility. For assistance, he recruits eager young medical student, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), who takes a log of Bella's progress ... while falling in love with her in the process. Once she is adequately independent to talk for herself, she agrees to Max's sweet proposal of marriage; but under one condition ... she wants to see & experience the world.
All-too-enthusiastic to help her in this adventure is Baxter's smarmy, debauched lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), who intends to use her for sex. But things do not go quite as planned. Bella stuns Duncan by being sexually insatiable & hedonistic {wearing him out in the process}. And in a reversal, he falls in love with her ... while SHE views him as little more than a vessel to provide carnal pleasure. As they traverse continental Europe, Bella loses more & more interest in the increasingly mental Duncan; all the while, she explores her swelling sexuality & grows exponentially in her intellect. But just when Bella thinks she has a grasp on this world, someone from her dark past comes to disrupt everything. Chaos, tragedy & redemption ensues.
Holy moly, is this one darkly comical, enticingly raunchy movie to experience. Lanthimos is the type of director whose signature style is so over-the-top that you're either along for his zany cinematic ride ... or you exit stage left. Tony McNamara's script blends witty humor with sex-&-violence to reveal truths about human kind. 'Poor Things' is many things at once. Just to name a few: it's a visually astounding story about a woman bucking the trends of society, finding herself, & ultimately liberating herself from various confines; it can be viewed as a feminist take on the 'daughter of Frankenstein' story; and it is also her epic odyssey of learning about all things academically {geography, philosophy, socialism, sex}, as well as her purpose in life.
This movie is also as contra-Puritanical as you can get; with much frontal nudity from both sexes, and loads of down-&-dirty sex acts. That said, for me, the nudity is not gratuitous. Rather, it is actual character development for Bella; who is rapidly aging from tantrum-fueled toddler to grown-up, all while being in an adult body. It is refreshing to see a character such as her not showing any shame about her body or in exploring her pleasures. To that, Emma Stone is a marvel as the free-spirited, uninhibited Bella Baxter. Bella is easily Stone's most physically & emotionally challenging role of her career; exhibiting stark comedic AND dramatic skills that, quite simply, blow her other performances out of the water -- and I say this as a huge fan of her acting.
Mark Ruffalo is the PERFECT comedic foil for Stone; giving us an utterly pompous, egotistical sex hound who has met his match in Bella Baxter. Watching her turn the tables & debase Duncan time after time is hysterical; all due to the over-the-top, humorously pathetic way in which Ruffalo plays him. Under mounds of excellent scar prosthetic make-up, Willem Dafoe is excellent as 'God', the eccentric, flawed 'creator of the monster' scientist, who also happens to have a soft side -- he's the beating heart of the story. Ramy Youssef impresses as the sweet, lovelorn medical student who, not unlike us - the audience - must quickly learn about Bella on the fly. Kathryn Hunter packs a punch as the Parisian brothel madam who teaches Bella some sociology. Legendary German actress, Hanna Schyulla, plays a quirky ship passenger who teaches Bella a thing or two about philosophy. And Christopher Abbott makes an impression as a sadistic officer with a startling link to Bella/Victoria.
Visually, 'Poor Things' is an otherworldly feast. The early scenes - confined to the cloistered laboratory/estate - are a mercurial wonder {with hybrid creatures, oddball props, strange angled rooms, etc.} and, the fact that it is filmed in black-&-white adds to the bizarre nature of the setting. Then, once Bella embarks on her adventure {the ornate cruise ship, an alternate reality Lisbon, an over-accentuated Paris}, we are treated to a vibrantly colorful array of inventive sights. Aiding all of this are Holly Waddington's astounding 19th c. costumes designs which, again, are familiar to us ... but with a twist. Robbie Ryan's camerawork, the make-up {corpses, deformities}, and a unique blend of both practical & CGI effects all enhance what we're watching.
'Poor Things' is not for the faint of heart {animals with human heads & vice-versa, stronggg sexuality, loads of profanity}, but I'd say that more cultivated viewers & prestige-loving cinephiles would get the most out of this. The comedy is bold, sometimes gruesome, and the whole thing is one wackadoo jaunt, and yet ... the film also has something to say. One can glean that the film is about the importance of a woman having control of her body. It's also a fairly non-agnostic; which is interesting. And it's about having individuality & freedom of expression. Really, 'Poor Things' is just a breath of fresh air. Though I think it overstays its welcome a bit and, I don't love every plot component ... there is NO doubt that 'Poor Things' blows away the miasma of by-the-numbers mainstream flicks & self-pretentious art films that clog up the theaters every week. Creativity wins the day with this film.