Release Date – 12th January 2024, Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 21 minutes, Director – Yorgos Lanthimos
Since being brought to life Bella (Emma Stone) has been confined to the home and lab of her creator, Dr Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), until she escapes with a debauched lawyer (Mark Ruffalo), learning about the freedoms of the open world.
Bella Baxter’s world is a black and white affair. Confined to the home and lab of her creator, the experimental Dr Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), he’s monitored and analysed as she rapidly develops from making slurred animal noises – in tune with the stitched-together hybrids around the rest of the house – to constructing complete sentences. Soon she yearns to explore the outside world and what it has to offer. Like her we experience an otherworldly feel to the fantastical colour scheme and landscapes throughout director Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest. The off-kilter nature of things offers a strange world for Bella to explore, with the audience alongside her on another journey of development, and understanding.
As she escapes her home, running off with debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo – barely containing his glee with this intentionally hammy and overdramatic role), her eyes are opened to potential freedoms across the world (and all manner of desserts). The world is made up of fascinating contrasts – “I have adventured and seen nothing but sugar and violence” Bella describes “it is quite charming”. Even with the greed and ill intentions she encounters Bella remains a fascinated and eager figure, raring to find her place in the world she’s still learning so much about. In turn she’s an equally fascinating figure from whom we see a full arc of development from over the almost two-and-a-half hour run-time. It feels as if we see her mind expanding in real-time, making for an even more intriguing character hook.
The mixture of the film’s themes, Lanthimos’ style and the visual design of the piece create the vibe of a dazed Wes Anderson, tapping away feverish fantasies at a typewriter that can just about keep up. It’s a strong yet controlled pace with which the themes themselves develop over the course of the film. Further encapsulated within Stone’s performance. As Bella takes part in an utterly joyous dance scene it’s hard not to think that Stone’s on her way to a deserved second Oscar.
As Poor Things depicts growth and strength emerging from unlikely places and circumstances, those with exteriors otherwise creating prejudices of offput and strangeness, it itself potentially creates empowerment from its initial oddities. We see the protagonist push ahead into and away from the world around her, no matter what others say or do; especially Ruffalo’s self-inflated lover, gaining a number of laughs with his vanity, and shutdowns from Stone.
It all makes the final image all the more effective, and particularly enjoyable. The final stages may feel slightly on the long side, but it’s worth it for the last shot before we cut to the credits. Held within the occasional comedic bluntness of the dialogue is an eloquent portrait of personal growth and exploration. Caught in an otherworldly place there’s a lot of visual strength on display and a clear effort in costume, production design and cinematography, complimented by Jerskin Fendrix’s score which adds to the overall engagement factor and effect. Wrapping you further in what’s being detailed on the screen, making for an even more immersive experience. One which has us connect with Bella as she too explores this world for the first time, being willed on by the audience as from the beginning it’s clear she’s making her own way. And what a joy it is to see her do so in such stylistic and untrepedatious fashion.
Bella Baxter is a fascinating, joyous and empowering character made by Emma Stone’s brilliant leading performance, her development is the core hook of Poor Things. Spurred further by the strong otherworldly visual detail emphasising her views and journey against the strong supporting cast around her.
Just A Little Bit Random 