Poor Things
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 141 minutes / 2.35 hours
To the people who complain that Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas, I’d argue that the bizarre films of Yorgos Lanthimos more than make up for this lack of unoriginality. Look no further than his latest Oscar-nominated piece, Poor Things (2023). A fever dream-like take on both the Frankenstein mythos and feminism, this movie succeeds at providing deeply thoughtful critiques of society while also being strange enough to have me wonder “what the heck did I just watch?” Considering the similar sentiments I had for The Favourite (2018), this tracks.
The real crux of this film was Emma Stone’s performance as Bella Baxter. Her evolution from infant to enlightened woman—all while in the same body—was spectacular. It was as if her character experienced all the benefits of her rapidly developing mind, but without the regression seen in stories like Flowers for Algernon. If you’re uncomfortable with sex (either depictions of or discussions of), then this would not be the movie for you. That the story uses prostitution to promote the independence of women by removing the shame associated with full control of their sex lives is something to be applauded.
However, while there are amazing humorous roles like Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn, the uncomfortable part of this film comes with the realization that Duncan’s desires are easily transferrable to most men. Guys like Duncan only have enough power in a relationship when their partner has the mind of a child. They want to oppress women like Bella because they won’t be able to control them once they’re smart enough to realize Baxter’s fixation on a child-like mind borders on pedophilia. Yet again, we have a harsh reminder that men need to be better.
An odd film filled with numerous heady ideas, I give Poor Things 4.0 stars out of 5.
