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| Images courtesy of Searchlight Pictures |
"They only want you when you're seventeen,
When you're 21, you're no fun.
They take a Polaroid and let you go
Say they'll let you know, so come on."
--Ladytron
Yorgos Lanthimos is not a director who strives to make approachable films, and they are very often uncomfortable at best, with occasional moments that will test even the most seasoned arthouse aficionados. He purposely employs Brechtian techniques to distance the audience from the characters, whether through stilted, unnatural dialog or unusual camera techniques. His newest work, Poor Things (2023), has all of his signatures: unsettling sexuality, strange dialogue, that fisheye lens he is fond of, and pitch-black humor.
The film begins similarly to its protagonist, awkward and stumbling as it thrusts the audience head first into a bizarre alternate version of Victorian-era England. Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a disfigured and morose scientist, has taken it upon himself to usher in a new creation: Bella (Emma Stone). Bella has the body of a grown woman and the mind of an infant, not in a metaphorical manner, but literally--Dr. Godwin cut open her head and inserted a baby's brain (there are apparent references to Frankenstein here). She totters around like an infant, with hardly any motor skills and limited babbling for communication. Dr. Godwin enlists the help of Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), a young medical student, to watch over Bella and chart her progress.
The first act of Poor Things will most likely be the most divisive with viewers. It explores Bella discovering her sexuality and how the men in her life react to it. Dr. Godwin is more of a father figure, but Max starts to have romantic feelings toward Bella, which is pretty gross considering that she acts like a child. The initial way that Bella is portrayed, infantilized and subsequently sexualized, is off-putting. However, this film is deconstructing and ultimately subverting how men objectify youth and naivety and seek to exploit it. Belle is a "manic dream pixie girl" in a sense, but instead of it being used to bolster a male character, she tears them apart, eventually driving them insane.
Later in the film, a roguish debaucher named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) is introduced, and he indulges Bella in her burgeoning sexual awakening and her lust to see the world. In the second act, it is here that the narrative opens up into something extraordinary, as Bella discovers body autonomy and self-actualization. The more agency and knowledge she gains, the less the men in her life find her attractive until it wraps around to them wanting her only to control and tame her again. Emma Stone's performance is incredible, and it's mesmerizing to watch her slowly morph from childlike innocence to cold and calculated self-assurance. She plays both roles well. The costume and set design are sumptuous and hedonistic, with Bella starting out wearing giant white frocks, being extravagantly dressed by Duncan, and finally finding her preferred polished style.
Visually, the film itself goes through a transformation, starting in stark black-and-white and then exploding into deep, saturated jewel tones when Bella finally leaves her home. The soundtrack, by composer Jerskin Fendrix, is avant-garde and mysterious, mixing ominous noises with lilting string pieces. Yorgo's rejection of formalism and filmmaking traditions make his films impenetrable for many people, but once you get on his wavelength, it's exhilarating to see him work his magic.
--Michelle Kisner