The Yorgos Lanthimos film, ‘Poor Things,’ is one of the most talked about films that was released towards the end of 2023. During its limited release run in December, it has earned incredible reviews and tremendous word of mouth.
After being named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review, ‘Poor Things’ has been racking up nominations left and right and won quite a few, including recently being nominated for ELEVEN Oscars.
Now, this highly acclaimed film has made it to the Dietrich and for some of the film’s sequences, viewer discretion is advised.
From filmmaker Yorgos Lathimos and producer/star Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents.
Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella goes steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
‘Poor Things’ is a highly imaginative (and weird at times) film that also delivers amazing performances from the lead cast and can be bizarre during some scenes.
The performances in this film are simply incredible. Emma Stone delivers such an astounding performance as the young woman who was brought back to life Bella Baxter. The talented actress definitely delivered her best performance yet and I can really see her winning the Best Actress Oscar this year.
Willem Dafoe also gives another brilliant performance as the unorthodox scientist who brought Bella back to life. No matter what, Dafoe always entertains and gives it his all. In fact, he always does a great job portraying unorthodox individuals. Speaking of Dafoe, let me know on Facebook your favorite Willem Dafoe movie! Mark Ruffalo also gives a scene-stealing performance as the lawyer that joins Bella on her adventure and can be humorous during a few scenes.
Some of the Bella scenes in the beginning gives a little ‘Frankenstein’ vibe after it’s been revealed that she has been re-animated. And, when the character acts a little child-like, some of those moments can bring humor to the film. Once Bella quickly becomes too mature steadily, the story can get bizarre at times and when she decides to have her own adventure, the Bella character lives life to the fullest in so many ways.
The cinematography is a real nice touch that adds a great detail to this film. It’s mixed between black and white (during the early scenes) and full color, which makes the film feel more unique. The sets and costumes are also amazing and the sets get visually better once Bella gets into the outside world.
Overall, ‘Poor Things’ is sometimes a complex and bizarre story, but it can be entertaining. This film definitely isn’t for everyone and can be surreal at times. And, fair warning, there are a few moments that can be a little unsettling for some viewers. But, ‘Poor Things’ really deserves the nominations that it has been receiving during this awards season and let’s see what wins the film gets at this year’s Oscars!
The cast: Emma Stone as Bella Baxter; Willem Dafoe as Dr. Godwin Baxter; Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderbaum; Ramy Youssef as Max McCandles; Christopher Abbott as Alfie Blessington; Kathryn Hunter as Madame Swiney; Jerrod Carmichael as Harry Astley; Margaret Qualley as Felicity; Suzy Bemba as Toinette and Hanna Schygulla as Martha von Kurtzroc.
‘Poor Things’ is based upon the novel by Alexander Gray, written by Tony McNamara (Cruella; The Favourite) and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster; The Favourite; The Killing of a Sacred Deer).
Development of the film began all the way back in 2009 when Lanthimos went to Scotland to discuss with author Alasdair Gray, the acquisition of the film rights to his novel. After filming ‘The Favourite’ with Emma Stone, Lathimos wanted to revisit the project and it was officially announced in 2021.
‘Poor Things’ is rated R for strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore and language and has a running time of 141 minutes.
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