Poor Things- film review
Not so much a review, more an Oh My Goodness!!
We went to see Poor Things (directed by Yorgos Lanthimos) at the cinema last weekend and I’m so glad we did. This is a film absolutely meant to be seen on the big screen. Many reviews talk about how visually stunning it is, but I was still unprepared for how beautifully and wildly creative the designers, cinematographer, and costume department have been. There is so much to look at in every scene it is quite dizzying!
The screenplay is an adaptation of a book by Alasdair Gray. The story is a curious take on the Frankenstein idea of a mad doctor reanimating a corpse. The newly minted Bella has to relearn/learn everything about the world, and her thirst for adventure and discovery, and her wide eyed curiosity and surprise, are what drive the film.
One of my favourite scenes showed Bella discovering how music can move you to dance. Her response to the unfamiliar rhythms and sounds was so joyous and spontaneous I found it delightful. Hats off to the choreographer, who had Mark Ruffalo gamboling and prancing to such marvellous effect too.
The surreal nature of the story was effectively underpinned by the sets. More was definitely more, with little allowed to look in any way natural. Such a stylistic choice can only really succeed if fully committed to, and my goodness, here was whole hearted commitment. My favourite location was probably Lisbon, though the ship was fabulous too.
Emma Stone has rightly (IMHO) won a Golden Globe for her performance as Bella Baxter. Will she bag an Oscar too? I hope so. In fact, all the performances were impressive I particularly applaud Willem Defoe for (for once) underplaying his role, and Mark Ruffalo for stupendously overplaying his. I grimaced at his appalling English accent to begin with, but soon it just felt right for the character.
This is not a film for the faint-hearted. The surgical experiment that results in the creation of Bella is stomach churning (speaking as someone whose idea of a horror movie is Ghostbusters!), and there is a lot of sex. And I mean a lot! If you are likely to be offended by either of those things don’t go, but you will be missing out on something truly special.
Poor Things is a film about innocence, about discovery, about human nature. It makes us question the way we view things, the way we censor behaviour, the way we impose societal norms upon each other, and how seeing those norms disregarded can be both disturbing and exhilarating.
Poor Things is also, very definitely, a comedy. I found myself laughing out loud, often, (which is rare for me, particularly when viewing a film in a cinema). I have to say I was sometimes the only one laughing! I don’t know what to make of that, except that comedy and pathos travel through a story hand in hand, occasionally in stark contrast to each other, occasionally twins. What I found funny might shock or sadden someone else. What I found joyous might appear simply strange to another cinema goer. That is the marvellous thing about stories: the reader/listener/viewer brings their own interpretation to the finished art work, and that response is an ineffable part of the story’s make-up.
Your review makes me want to see this!
Take a deep breath and an open mind and dive right in!
I found the orchestra’s music exhilarating!! Wonderful dancing! I look forward to seeing it!
That we should all dance with such glee!
The most disgusting movie I’ve ever seen! It should have Ben described as born!! Cannot believe Emma no books Stone would make this movie@!
My phone.messed up my text but hopefully the message gets out..nothing artful about this movie!!
Don’t watch..its porn..and disgusting!!
If you were to understand the reason behind the “porn” you would actually understand the movie. The semiotics of this movie are not for anyone watching with a single lens. It is a very symbolic film meant to be unwrapped not just watched.
It is by definition not “porn”
Disagree. It is porn.
A visually stunning film. The dialog is mesmerizing like a Shakespearian play in modern times. I was caught off guard by the rhythm of it all. Its a horrendous warning to modern woman. Just because a man is a man it doesn’t mean he is a misogynist. Much like Frankensteins monster Bella is grown without wisdom giving into her instant whims and desires without the ability to understand consequences. Godwin is the hero, through all the torture of his childhood he didn’t give into vengeance … he understood that humans are perfectly imperfect. Yes, Godwin does experiments with animals but he does it with some compassion. He let Bella go even though he wanted to keep her, he didn’t judge her and he didn’t keep her captive rather he was the captive of his own disfigurement at the hands of his own father. Bella on the other hand castrates all of the men in her life. Bella destroys Wedderbern was this deserved? Bella breaks the heart and castrates her future husband even in the last scene where she speaks French to her female lover in front of her husband alluding to a secret kept. Bella’s revenge on her husband was inhumane it would be better to kill him for his evil nature than to dehumanize him by implanting the brain of a goat into his body. God, wins in this film… Godwin rises above all the torture inflicted upon his body and soul without giving into a vengeance that most would find appropriate. Godwin keeps his humanity. It reminds me of the story of a Holocaust survivor who upon release came upon a German family in their home near the concentration camp. At first, she wanted to torture and kill them all but then fell the to floor realizing it would blacken her soul to repay evilness with evilness.
I appreciate your review, I came to this website to seek meaning to this movie. I agree the movie was splendidly colorful and the costumes, sets and were spectacular while the music was intriguing. I just think the sex was so distracting I ended up pondering the film’s meaning and not finding it. It would have been a much better movie without having to watch Emma Stone have an orgasm every 5 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against sex and nudity in films but come on!
I thought Bella was going to transplant Godwin’s brain into husband’s body. Apparently, human to human brain transplants only work if one is a baby brain? 🤔
So the premise is that this woman acts like a child? I’m not understanding her mentality being “innocent” and then having a ton of sex. So this movie is an actress playing like a child or cognitively impaired woman that men want to have sex with and also show their sons how to do it? What am I missing? I guess I’m just not understanding what mind could possibly think as a society we should find this entertaining.
Imagine a baby’s brain in a woman’s body. Not understanding or having had learned manners and social mores. That was the point of all of the sex. When children are young they don’t understand why we don’t give in to simple pleasures. It takes parenting to learn that you can’t just scream and yell and jump and run in public. This is a baby in a woman’s body experiencing sexual feelings. When she says, ” why don’t people do this all the time? ” That tells you everything you need to know about ” why all the sex? ” .
It was exploitative. There was nothing that this film had offer except that men want to sexually exploit very young girls dressed up to look like women or women with traumatic brain injury &/or are developmentally disabled and that in order for young girls to understand their budding sexuality they must engage in prostitution, Only Fans, anyone? It was gross, voyeuristic, fetishist garbage. Even Godwin states that 1). being a eunuch and 2). his paternal feelings were what prevented him from sexually engaging with I can’t even remember her name, and I just watched the film, that’s how unremarkable this film is. I can’t even remember the protagonist’s name! Back to Godwin, it is implied that had he not been a eunuch, despite his paternal feelings, he would have taken sexual advantage. Even the assistant/fiance questions Godwin about his motives making himself a “mistress?” Sex doll, anyone? Of course, her beauty is preserved. It doesn’t matter what stage of cognitive/emotional/social development she’s at as long as she’s f*ckable. I am so disappointed in the actors who went along with this mess. Yuck, yuck, yuck. The only thing I liked about the film were dreamy set design and the voluminous sleeves.
I absolutely loved this movie. I’ve never understood humanity’s odd social mores and often question them. I think that’s a big part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much. The set design is so whimsical and it completely adds to Bella’s outlook on a world that is so odd, colorful, beautiful and frightening all at once.
There is indeed a lot of sex and Emma’s and Mark’s willingness to engage in a lot of furious jumping is something that some people may find offensive. I think there is a truthfulness to this film’s embracing of sex and its grip on our psyches. It doesn’t shy away from a critical stage that all of us go through, whether some of us want to admit it or not. I find its honesty refreshing and it was done in a way that was funny and honest rather than lurid.
Bella’s attitude of being an explorer in a strange land is really how all of us enter the world and I think some of us retain that sense of oddity and wonder even as we age. The world is a strange, wonderful, hilarious and awful place all at once and this film does a great job reminding us of this. I had no expectations at all when I watched this film and I was so pleasantly surprised by its uniqueness. I was also very glad it had a happy ending.
I’ve been obsessively watching this movie recently. It’s odd, funny, cartoon-like & smut. The director likes shocking the viewers. I’m still to understand the eye shots and the black & white meanings. I didn’t like the unnecessary sex but I guess they knew what they were doing. If Emma didn’t take the role, I think Sofia Vergara would’ve also nailed it (not sure about the accent). The acting is wonderful. I particularly liked the scene outside the brothel LOL. Bella reminded me of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) in The Big Bang Theory. Mark nailed the character. I laughed everytime he got frustrated.
I felt the same way about the film. Lots of philosophical themes explored. And without the sex it wouldn’t have been as powerful. But, by god, there’s a lot of shagging. And Emma Stone doesn’t stay in her costumes much.