Poor Things: Beauty not the beast

December 20, 2023 · Watch the trailer

Strange creatures from questionable backgrounds have often found to be rich tapestries for storytellers to weave tales around, especially for shock and horror value while a moral truth is hidden under the surface.

Characters like the vampire Count Dracula or Frankenstein and his monster have been staples in cinema for decades and a new variation on a seemingly classic psychology has emerged as a top piece of cinematic art in 2023 with an avantgarde twist from director Yorgos Lanthimos.

While the monster in those Mary Shelley stories is feared and reviled, Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter has a childlike ingenuity initially that allows audiences to fall in love with her as several characters do in the film and the ways in which she’s able to grow and change are a much deeper, introspective reflection on looking at the world from a new perspective.

Based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, “Poor Things” follows a young Victorian woman brought back to life by a peculiar and unorthodox surgeon as she finds her way in the world physically, emotionally, and morally.

Unquestionably, “Poor Things” is the most bizarre, transgressive, avantgarde piece of cinema to come out in several years and the ways that it will be demonstrably beloved and reviled by different parts of the moviegoing community will certainly make it one of the year’s most divisive films as well.

There is a radiance to Stone’s performance that evolves over the course of two hours as Bella truly comes alive, learning about the world in a free way that’s reflected in Stone’s evoking of Jodie Foster in “Nell” to transform into something much more complicated as Bella begins to realize her own humanity.

This pervades every part of Stone’s work from her intensely broad physicality, unnatural movements that set to define Bella’s early life and is also captured in the way that Stone changes Bella’s cadence, tone and affect in dialogue. There is no better muse for Lanthimos’ bizarre narrative than Stone, who seems to hit all the right beats at every moment.

The small, yet terrifically cast ensemble that surrounds her also relishes in the twisted comedy, especially Willem Dafoe as Bella’s bewildering, deformed father figure Godwin and an increasingly maniacal Mark Ruffalo, whose Duncan becomes obsessed with Bella to the point of his own insanity.

“Poor Things” views Bella as being completely free of societal restraints or norms, which allows her to explore the world with fresh eyes. To this end, there is a raw, unbridled sexuality to the film that Lanthimos and Stone never shy away from with nudity not being expressive or graphic, rather just a furtherance of Bella’s self-exploration.

The frequency and cavalier manner by which “Poor Things” showcases Bella’s awakening sexuality will certainly be off-putting for some audiences who will wrap the entire film in a bow of strange absurdities that don’t need to be celebrated or even made at all.

Additional viewings of “Poor Things” will likely reveal a grander plan for what Lanthimos’ narrative is really trying to say about femininity and society as a whole once the shock value of the film’s transgressions begins to wear off.

“Poor Things” is one of the year’s most strangely constructed films cinematically as a wonderful production design feels sculpted out of Bella’s mind pervading her worldview and how she sees society from a slightly off-kilter angle and the captivating cinematography from Robbie Ryan uses everything from wide angle to close up to fish-eye lenses to maintain and reinforce the oddities of Lanthimos’ narrative.

In a bizarre twist of fate, “Poor Things” seems to be among the major contenders for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards with Stone a likely lock to nab another Best Actress nomination and though it will be one of the year’s most heralded films, the divisiveness of Lanthimos’ work will leave it with far more nominations than actual wins.

While it may turn off as many moviegoers as it creates ardent fans, “Poor Things” is still one of 2023’s biggest cinematic achievements, showcasing a majestic turn from Stone, a true auteur in Lanthimos with an avantgarde expression and amazing craftsmanship that make “Poor Things” something worth seeking out in theaters.