Director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Favourite) helms this wacky Frankenstein-inspired black comedy about brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin “God” Baxter (Willem Dafoe) who resurrects a suicide victim naming her Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). At first, she has the mind of an infant, but as her intellect develops, she runs off with debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) on a journey of self-discovery and sexual liberation, only to eventually return to face new challenges. (114 min.)
Glen: Lanthimos’ films often drift into surrealism, and Poor Things is on par, set in a steampunk version of Victorian England before venturing off to period-era Lisbon, Paris, and other European locales—all pastel fantasy versions of themselves. If you’re into steampunk aesthetics, you’re going to love the ship that turns up midway through. So visually, the film is a wonder, but what’s it really about? In short, Bella is learning what it means to be human—our desires, sexual appetites, empathy, impatience: all the messy shit we deal with internally. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in an unconventional way, and though it’s essentially a bildungsroman—Bella’s coming of age as she develops into a woman—it’s also about how men shape her, from her “creator” Godwin to his assistant and her first paramour Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), to her pre-suicide husband Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott), and the dozens of men she beds in between. Is this a feminist or anti-feminist film? I’m guessing opinion will vary.
Anna: Stone’s brilliant as Bella, and we watch as she gains awareness and ability. With the gait and instability of a toddler learning to walk, Bella is first confined to the house when McCandles meets her, but the world is opened up once she’s allowed to head outside. Godwin is nervous to let his creation “grow up,” but just like with real children, there’s no stopping them. Bella is curious and doesn’t know why she should put up with illogical things, and when given the chance to venture out, she does. Unfortunately, it’s with Duncan Wedderburn, played by an equally brilliant Mark Ruffalo. He isn’t exactly a stand-up guy, and soon Bella is left to her own devices for survival. I enjoyed every minute of it, and from the laughs from the audience at The Palm Theatre, it seems I’m not the only one.
Glen: I’ve never seen Stone more committed to a role, and she bares all in service to Bella, a wide-eyed sponge soaking up experiences and working to process the contradictions and hypocrisies of humankind. An odd collection of characters imparts their own brand of wisdom to Bella, who must decide what to adopt as her personal philosophy. I especially liked mismatched ship couple Martha Von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry Astley (Jerrod Carmichael), she a free-spirited and aged white woman and he a bespoke cynical young black man. And when we get to Paris and she meets diminutive Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter), she realizes how complicated and confounding life can be. Definitely a 2023 highlight.
Anna: It’s certainly an original take on Frankenstein, and the casting was spot on. Dafoe’s face is a scarred mess. I read he spent hours in the makeup chair to achieve the effect. While his exterior is harsh, he has a tender softness for Bella. It’s almost sweet, as long as you don’t think too hard about what Godwin had to do in order to create her. I loved the imaginative quality of the film as well as the beautiful and strange world. From a motorized carriage with a horse head to various combinations of animals (think a duck body with a dog head) and the steampunk ship, the film is nothing short of a visual treat. Catch this one in theaters.
New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey from the Sun’s sister paper and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 4-14, 2024.
