Cinema for Brunch POOR THINGS Review

Director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone keep the hits coming with “Poor Things”, a bizarre, irreverent story about what it means to be human.

Synopsis

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Review
What makes a film about the human condition great is its capacity to depict such a concept with uniqueness and passion. “2001”, “Ikiru”, “Synecdoche, New York” – what makes these films so great are the subjects at their core that experience what it’s like to be human in their idiosyncratic ways. Yorgos Lanthimos’ newest film “Poor Things” – based on the novel by Alasdair Gray – carries a great argument to be added to that list in the creation of its main character, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). “Poor Things” is a terrifically weird, horny, feminist reimagining of the classic Frankenstein-like plot. Throw in a mad scientist, his mad creation, give his mad creation a chance at life and to find out what it means to be human, add some (to say the least) interesting characters along the way and that’s pretty much what you have here. Set in Victorian London, “Poor Things” begins with medical student Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) becoming an assistant to the facially deformed Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) and becoming witness to his childlike creation Bella Baxter. Bella – who calls Godwin “God” for short (a funny recurring joke) – was resurrected by her “father” Dr. Baxter after she committed suicide. Since then, he has been “raising” her, making notes as Bella learns to gain cognitive ability, speak full sentences, and eventually gain self-awareness. In a turn of events, Bella soon runs off with the debauched oaf of a lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) and finds herself on a road to discovering herself and what it means to be alive. Director Lanthimos picks up the ball where he dropped it with 2015’s “The Lobster,” continuing his trend of creating strange odysseys with stranger characters at the core, all with poignant emotion and wild scope.

There is a wild, bizarre and eclectic feel to the world of “Poor Things,” more so than any other Lanthimos film – it’s indeed his most eccentric (and horny) entry to date. That’s also to state the obvious – the film is most definitely not for everyone. On one end, the film takes liberty with its colors, its aspect ratio and its character framing. Lanthimos shines with extreme closeups, zoom-in shots and fisheye lenses, coupled with excellent black-and-white cinematography (credit due to Robbie Ryan) and then transitioning to color once Bella steps out into the open world. The constricting “womb” of Bella’s existence is perfectly reflected in the black-and-white view while the exquisite, wonderful colors of Bella’s odyssey in the world outside reflects her journey to self-discovery, without the control and guidance of “God”. On the other end, there are crude, humorous cutaways to sex (or “furious jumping” – another funny recurring joke), both wild and horny as well as moments that are sensual and passionate. Writer Tony McNamara injects hilarious, idiosyncratic dialogue between the film’s core players, adding another layer to the film’s odd nature. Lanthimos (and Stone) throw it all out there on the field and while it may run the risk of alienating the film’s intended audience, it creates an unforgettable ride of a woman finding her identity through sexual liberation.

The talent in this acting ensemble is second to none, everyone delivering a fine performance with the strongest coming from Stone. Emma Stone’s performance of Bella Baxter is the best of her career – it’s a pitch-perfect performance of physicality, comedic timing and complex emotion. From her “infantile” inception onscreen, Stone’s performance is that of an adult child learning how to walk upright, speak clearly and learn empathy (a dark explanation for her initial “state” is given later – which leads to a great reaction shot of Youssef’s gobsmacked face). As her character grows, Stone finetunes her performance through the different stages of Bella’s journey with excellent precision – it truly is a bravura turn from her. That brings us to Mark Ruffalo’s wild foil performance of Duncan Wedderburn. Ruffalo, known for playing poignant roles of “good men” or characters who have an everyman nature, gets to let loose in the hedonistic role of Duncan. From the moment he appears on screen, it’s very clear Duncan is the wrong traveling companion with which Bella can learn about the ways of the world. He’s an arrogant, mischievous fool whom most women would claim today to be a “fuckboy” or a “tool”. And that’s what makes this such a great standout role for Ruffalo who has previously played anything but. Willem Dafoe is terrific as the madman Godwin Baxter, carrying great scenes of humorous commentary alongside Ramy Youssef, who is a great, warm presence as Max McCandles. Jerrod Carmichael has a terrific cynical turn as Harry Astley, a man Bella meets while traveling by boat to her next destination and the incomparable Kathryn Hunter makes a great odd appearance as Madame Swiney, an owner of a brothel that Bella lands herself in. Late in the game, Christopher Abbott gives a terrific villainous performance as Alfie Blessington, a figure from Bella’s past.

The odyssey of Bella Baxter and her journey to self-discovery is a beautiful vision to witness, even as it gets repetitive towards its third act. As Bella makes her way through the world (colorful intertitles tracking her way from London to Lisbon to Alexandria to Paris), we are given lush visuals due to Robbie Ryan’s terrific cinematography and Holly Washington’s excellent, sexy costume design. Another great note is Jerskin Fendrix’s whimsical score, keeping up with the film’s weirdness in tone and design. This is a beautifully made world that almost forgives the film for its repetitive third act. The scenes where Bella finds herself in a brothel are somewhat hilarious but mostly…unnecessary and shocking just for shock’s sake. It’s in this chapter where Lanthimos finds himself interested in not just crossing the line but curious into how far past the line he can go, lessening a bit of the film’s greatness in the process. Thankfully enough, the film somewhat finds its way back in its thrilling climax as Bella returns home.

Closing Thoughts
While it may not be for everyone, those who give “Poor Things” a chance will be witness to a weird, sexual rendition of the human condition. Bella Baxter is a character for the ages – she’s rude but lovable, cruel but sweet, shameless but intuitive. She’s a paradox that is, in essence, human and understands what such a thing means during the course of the film. Emma Stone delivers a terrific performance alongside a game cast and Yorgos Lanthimos makes good use of a $35 million budget, creating a beautiful, wonderfully strange film. Call it a masterpiece or call it a naughty good time, I’m looking forward to future odd collaborations between Stone and Lanthimos.

Trailer