POOR THINGS is in theaters December 8th. Director Yorgos Lanthimos’s follow up to his 2018 film, THE FAVOURITE. Poor Things stars Emma Stone who was also in The Favourite. So I guess she must be. Not to play favorites myself, I have to say that Stone is my front runner for this years Best Actress award. She is so mesmerizing to watch.
Synopsis: The incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
In my most humble opinion Yorgos is a hit and miss filmmaker for my taste. I loved The Favourite but was so perplexed – and at times frustrated – with his other two films THE LOBSTER and THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER. He finally is able to meld his fantastical story telling and imagination with a world perfectly suited for his warped vision. The world he creates for Bella Baxter to live in is full of whimsy, color – even in the absence of – and bold characters.
Bella Baxter is a character that does not come around very often. This “daughter of Frankenstein” if you will has grown up in a lab and now set out into the world. Her honesty, perspective, and willingness to explore is endearing and at times hilarious. Stone uses jerky, spastic, movements mixed with an off pace cadence of dialogue to create an unforgettable performance.
The film also stars Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn suave lawyer who falls for Bella, but soon realizes that he is no match for her. He intends to show her the world in a whirl wind journey. Once Bella learns that a strong, liberated, free thinking woman is the most powerful thing on the planet, Duncan has no chance of keeping her imprisoned.
Ruffalo and Stone work so well together. They are this years most eccentric on screen couple and they play it to new heights. I was surprised the most by Ruffalo. Being so used to his smart Bruce Banner demeanor it was electrifying to see him move in the realm of quirky comedy. Not the moronic sophomoric comedy that plagues us these days, but smart, catch you off guard hilarity.
This is an R rated film and Lanthimos takes every opportunity to put it to use. Bella loves to learn and grow and much of that is with her own female sexuality. Emma Stone embraces here character in this area with force.
During a press conference at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, director Yorgos Lanthimos commended star Emma Stone on fully committing to filming her very graphic sex scenes in the movie. He said, “It was very important for me to not make a film that would be prudish, because that would be like completely betraying the main character. We had to be confident Emma had to have no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes and she understood that right away. As soon as I started saying something about sex, she would say: ‘yes,’ of course, it’s Bella. We will do what we need to do.’” – Pulled from an IMDB quote.
If POOR THINGS doesn’t win best costume, cinematography, hair, make up, and best actress… I am not sure what is going on in the world. This fill is stunning to watch. Much of that has to do with styling and make up. Will this film be for everyone? Absolutely not. As with THE FAVOURITE there will be lovers and haters. But you will be far pressed to find a more creative and vibrant film, plus as extraordinary character as Bella in theaters this year.
POOR THINGS is rated R for strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore, and language
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