Y贸rgos L谩nthimos’s Poor Things is a phenomenon I was aware of from its first trailer, providing an eccentric but limited view of what the world would soon uncover with its release. Highly regarded as one of the 2023’s best films, I curiously watched it this past January with little context but high hopes. Quickly enough, I was left with my mouth agape and eyes teary as the film concluded, understanding I had never seen anything quite like it. After my second watch of the movie this past weekend, the merits of Poor Things have shone even brighter than before, marking itself a noteworthy film for the ages.
The movie follows the life of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone)- an enigmatic and unconventional young woman- as she discovers the nuances and complexities of life after being “reborn” by mad scientist Godwin Baxter (William Dafoe). The film draws many comparisons to the likenesses of Frankenstein but stands out in its unique ways. The audience discovers that Godwin saved Bella as her past self attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself off a bridge. As Godwin retrieved her body, he noticed that she was pregnant and, in an attempt to conduct a unique scientific experiment, transplanted the unborn child’s brain into the nearly dead body of Bella, who was previously known as Victoria. The rest of the film explores the rapid evolution of Bella Baxter- a grown woman with a child’s brain- as she leaves her home with the irrationally emotional Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) and experiences liberation of all sorts- a lot of it through sexual exploitation. While that remains an implicit narrative theme, Poor Things can be viewed with a new interpretation every watch. For me, it’s about discovering one’s identity, how it can be shaped by our living experiences and the people around us, and the defiance of conformity.
Every new location Bella travels to after she leaves home leads to a fraction of her self-identity building up as she experiences the world with all its flaws and circumstances. On her first trip to Lisbon, Bella experiences her first taste of freedom, whether it comes from the food she eats, the sexual acts she engages in, or the sights she sees. One of my favorite moments of the film is when Bella hears a woman singing for the first time (as heard in “O Quarto” in the score), leaving her in a speechless and emotional trance. Next, as Duncan and Bella board a ship against Bella’s will, she learns about logic and philosophy directly from two travelers she befriends, Harry and Martha. On that boat, Bella eventually grows wary of Duncan’s pessimistic outlook and often finds herself engrossed with riveting books and philosophical debates. Bella’s newfound peer, Harry, plays a critical role as he becomes the catalyst of Bella’s growing empathy in their exploration of Alexandria, as he shows her the reality of poverty and misfortune in a failed attempt to show that humanity is naturally unkind. Finally, the final destination of Paris allows Bella to fully explore her sexuality through her time in a brothel. While the film has a few more twists and turns near the end, Bella’s exploration across countries remains the film’s primary source of material.
In addition to the distinctive plot, the movie is heavily aided by the music and cinematography that accompany it, putting Poor Things into a league of its own. Often shot with wide angles or fish eye lenses, the camera work is breathtaking and allows you to experience the world like Bella Baxter does, with constant intrigue and question. The film is also unapologetically deliberate with its choices of coloring, with the first portion of the film being in black and white to represent the simplicity and na茂vet茅 of Bella’s world. Therefore, once she escapes to Lisbon with Duncan, the film is vibrant, with captivating hues and shades straight out of one’s wildest fantasy. In addition to the coloring and cinematography, some outstanding pieces of symbolism are creatively inserted into the film through the use of animals, bodily organs, and Bella’s radiant clothing collection, which I dearly envy. However, what truly elevates Poor Things to the next level for me is the undeniably strange but brilliant musical score composed by Jerskin Fendrix. The music in the movie takes on a lifelike quality, with each melodic note having a distinct purpose in displaying the thematic journey of each character. At the beginning of the film, discordant and harsh instruments accompany the film, representing the childlike and innocent nature of the imprisoned Bella. As the film progresses, the music has more structure as Bella gains more insight into herself and the world, but still remains distinctly odd and unlike any other movie score I’ve ever heard. Almost all of my favorite moments of the film occur whenever there is a loud, dissonant crescendo in the score, which can especially be noted during Bella and Harry’s eye-opening time in Alexandria (which can be heard in the track “Alexandria” in the score). Any scene I got emotional about was primarily a response to the otherworldly violins and other instruments that accompanied it, particularly the film’s ending.聽
Although the production level of Poor Things can be regarded as superior by nearly anyone, the movie’s themes and messages have been one of the most challenging concepts for the world to grasp. For some people, Poor Things is a blatant disrespect to feminism, as Bella is repeatedly in situations where she is being sexually taken advantage of by people who are aware of her childlike state. It’s an easy argument, along with the perspective that the film can be seen as a perverted, “male-gaze” movie. After all, Bella Baxter is sexualized before she even learns how to read. However, I will gladly argue that those concepts, while evident in the film, are not the only takeaways for a movie that labels itself partially as a satire. While many critics claim that this movie is ironically the perfect “male view of feminism” due to the significant role that sex plays in Bella’s liberation, I would argue that there are many other ways to interpret feminism in the film, primarily through Bella eventually learning to live her life based on logic, empiricism, and individuality. Furthermore, the film’s heavy sci-fi and theatrical elements allow the story to be relatively detached from our modern world, showing that certain events in the movie aren’t necessarily made to be a straightforward parallel to contemporary portrayals of feminism and patriarchy.聽
Also, Bella Baxter doesn’t need to be a feminist icon or role model if you don’t want her to be. While she gains wisdom and freedom throughout the plot, she is fundamentally flawed at her core, considering the circumstances of her conception. Satyrical elements of the film allow the audience to recognize the constant hypocrisy and entitlement of the male characters of the film and their possessiveness over not only Bella but women as a whole. There are endless interpretations of the movie that can be drawn from the lengthy run-time. While it is exceedingly clear that this is a movie made by men, it doesn’t mean that the purpose was to showcase a purely infantilized male fantasy film with no deeper meaning. Poor Things tackles every topic, from the ethics of humanity to capitalism and social customs.聽
While the film is irrevocably messy and visceral at its core, Poor Things has proven to be a profoundly resonant story with every element of an unforgettable movie, even if it may cause the occasional gasp or tear. As the film will be leaving theaters soon, I urge you to witness it at least once on the big screen to fully capture the unashamed, zany, and jarring world of Bella Baxter as she discovers all the good things, the bad things, and the poor things in the world.聽
See the movie today!: https://www.fandango.com/poor-things-2023-231939/movie-overview