Yorgos Lanthimos’ film Poor Things is the latest film among the crop of awards-buzzworthy titles this year. It’s likely because of the weight of the award-winning director’s resume as well as having a top tier ensemble cast that this film is even getting this kind of attention.
To be fair, the buzz is warranted. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography is pretty spectacular. The use of fisheye lenses gives an ultra wide angle to various shots adding a quirky aesthetic to the story. There’s also the production design by Shona Heath and James Price, which is absolutely stunning.
Jerksin Fendrix’s musical score felt like a supporting character in its own right. The music added a whimsical flair to the film that added a bit more levity to this brazen comedy. Holly Waddington’s elaborate costume design is a chef’s finger kiss to what one would expect in a fantastical tale.
And finally there are the performances. Don’t be surprised if one or more of these actors are nominated for an Oscar — there are some standouts in this movie, nototably actor Willem Dafoe.
But let’s talk about what Poor Things is about.
Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) finds the body of a woman who has taken her own life by jumping off a bridge. He’s a Victor Frankenstein-like character if you will, and he elects to resurrect this woman, who he names Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) and brings her back to life. At the time of her death, Bella was pregnant. Dr. Baxter takes the brain of her unborn baby, removes Bella’s brain, and implants Bella’s baby’s brain inside of her. Now keep this in mind as this information is important.
As Dr. Baxter is cultivating this experiment, he takes on an apprentice by the name of Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef). Max assists the doctor in helping to humanize Bella and to later become betrothed to Bella per Dr. Baxter’s wishes. The moments these scenes take place are mostly shot in black and white. However, there is a paradigm shift that takes place in the plot, color of the movie, and the entire message of the film. A lecherous lawyer by the name of Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) is immediately intrigued by Bella and wants to run away and have sexual adventures with her, even though Max is currently engaged to her.
While this is happening Bella discovers that she finds pleasure in pleasing herself sexually. And this is where the movie loses me.
I’m not a prude when it comes to films about sexual liberation, in fact one of my favorite films of this genre is John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (a film I might add that contains non-simulated sex scenes). But I can’t help but cringe seeing Emma in these scenes that are clearly shot from the male gaze. I think there’s definitely a place for this story about Bella having a sexual awakening, but this wasn’t it. How can she go from literally having the mind of a newborn to suddenly becoming obsessed with sex? And where did this obsession come from? What was the catalyst that ignited the urge for Bella to suddenly have this powerful sex drive?
The plot never properly answers these questions. Instead, it jump cuts into gratuitous sex scenes, random nudity, and Bella’s need to constantly fornicate in a mechanical way.
A film came out of Sundance last year called Sharp Stick, directed by Lena Dunham. While it’s not the best film, it’s similar in that a girl had a sudden sexual awakening. However, at least in that story, the catalyst was brought on by the act of a man who gave her pleasure and attention — something that filled a void in her life. For her, having sex constantly after that was a way to continue to fill that void.
Sadly, Poor Things does a poor job in trying to communicate this message to its audience. Instead, it has cringeworthy references of Bella calling Dr. Baxter “god” and her being tossed around from one man to another like a rag doll. Her character, in my opinion, was disrespected.
Another thing the film fails to explain is how Bella’s vernacular evolves so quickly. She goes from speaking like a robot at the beginning of the film to later speaking like a college professor.
There’s also the fact that for a story about a young woman who is discovering herself and learning her body, not one moment do we see her experience having a menstrual cycle. There could be a scientific reason behind this given she is technically a zombie, but she does have bodily fluids that allow her to have sexual intercourse — I know it’s kind of gross to think about, but we are dealing with human anatomy here. Plus she also urinates in one scene.
So while I think that this film has the makings of an awards-worthy flick with its avant-garde approach to storytelling, impeccable visuals, spectacular costumes, and groundbreaking performances, unfortunately the messaging falls flat. Rather than a woman developing her own identity and exploring her femininity, the film presents a false sense of woman empowerment and sexual liberation that feels more like sexual fodder through the lens of the male gaze.
Poor Things premieres in theaters December 8, 2023.
