Poor Things

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93/100

Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

Released: 2023

Studio: Searchlight

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe

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Poor Things is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, and Ramy Youssef. Lanthimos is as whimsical and unique a director as I’ve ever seen. His previous filmography includes The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favorite. Clocking in at a slightly bloated 2 hours and 21 minutes, Poor Things is a terrifically gorgeous and thought-provoking movie with dozens of moving pieces. 

Lanthimos appears to be a student of the David Lynch film school of “I’ll do whatever I damn well please and you’ll watch it anyway”. That style of filmmaking is all over Poor Things. The art design is so surreal and elevates the story to new heights. I’ve never seen such an elaborately intricate movie that manages to stay interesting for the entire runtime without becoming distracting. Everything from the costumes and makeup to the matte paintings and transition title cards was layered with care and intention. It is a visual feast. 

About half of the movie is shot in black and white, with a perfect monochrome balance. The other half is shot in an eye-popping color grade that exquisitely highlights the journey of Bella Baxter. The CGI is delightfully rubbery and matches the practical effects identically. The sound design is equally as impressive as the camerawork, with tiny little sounds that create a symphony of detail for the audience.

The art design is so surreal and elevates the story to new heights.

So yes, the visuals are amazing. It’s one of the prettiest movies I’ve seen this year. But what about the story? Well, it’s a bit of a different take. It’s full of important themes and ideas that obviously mean a lot to Yanthimos. For example, Poor Things takes significant time to discuss sexuality, love, parental responsibility, and curiosity in depth. 

Bella Baxter has a complicated origin story and an even more complicated family life. Her journey through life begins with curiosity, which turns to sexuality and the exploration of her sexuality. It’s matched at the same time by Willem Dafoe’s struggle to understand his parental responsibility to Bella and when to let go.

Throughout the movie, Bella continues her journey by experimenting with philosophy – grappling with cynicism, stoicism, socialism, etc. She tries each one on as if it were a new outfit (of which she also has many). It’s a nice blend of topics, each handled with care. 

The only problem I have with the presentation of the movie is the EXTREME amount of sex that’s portrayed. It serves a purpose to a point, but holy shit there’s a lot of it. It kind of takes away from the story at certain points because it becomes SO distracting. I’m all for expressive cinema, especially with an R-rated movie but it’s borderline too much. 

She tries each one on as if it were a new outfit…

Emma Stone steals the show as Bella Baxter. It is her movie and Lanthimos just clears the way for her to flex her acting skills. She dives into the role headfirst and sticks the landing with grace. She is beautifully expressive and matches the absurdity with charismatic deadpan delivery.

Supporting Stone is Mark Ruffalo puts on a decent performance as Duncan Wedderburn. He nails the stuffy aristocrat, but he can’t hold his accent to save his life. Willem Dafoe plays Godwin Baxter, Bella’s father. Despite the HEAVY prosthetics and makeup, Dafoe is stellar. His screen time is limited, but he eats it up and doesn’t leave anything behind. 

Poor Things is the sleeper event of the year for me. I was sold one thing by the trailer and got something so strange and out there that I can’t help but be mystified. Lanthimos is a visionary with creative skills that rival contemporary directors like David Lynch. It sparked immediate conversations between my wife and I as we tried to dissect it in the car ride home and it will surely do the same for you. 

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