18. Poor Things; movie review

 

POOR THINGS

Cert 18

142 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex, nudity, very strong language

Yes, Poor Things is bizarre. Yes, it is worth perseverance. Yes, Emma Stone gives the performance of a lifetime.

And yes, there is probably too much sex.

Anyone who has seen a Yorgos Lanthimos movie knows they are in for a challenging watch but will likely be rewarded.

This was true with The Favourite, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and The Lobster. I can't report the same of Alps or Dogtooth which went straight over my head.

Stone plays Bella Baxter, a Frankenstein-esque creation of an eccentric scientist, portrayed by Willem Dafoe.

She has the body of a young woman whom he discovered in a river after she threw herself from a bridge.

He replaced her brain with that of the baby, which was growing inside her.

Consequently, much of the early movie sees her growing up and going through phases such as walking and talking.

She behaves like a child and then an adolescent, but as her learning speeds up, so does her thirst for knowledge from the outside world.

But it is when she becomes a self-aware woman and wants to spread her wings that the movie begins to peak.

Poor Things demands an extraordinary range from its star, and Stone proves she is up to the task.

She is complemented by the superb Mark Ruffalo as the full-of-himself womaniser who entices her to Europe and Dafoe as her heavily disfigured, compelling creator.

Lanthimos has become renowned for ambitious sets, and Poor Things eclipses all before it, creating a Victorian-era environment with extravagant twists. 

Meanwhile, the costumes are equally over-the-top, every Bella dress having the hallmark of unique buffeted shoulder pads.

He is also uncompromising with his language and bedroom antics. 

Bella doesn't do subtlety in any way, but she is mesmeric, and cinephiles will love her. 

Stone deserves every ounce of the acclaim she has received.

Reasons to watch: Mesmeric 

Reasons to avoid: Takes too long to get to the best bits

Laughs: Three

Jumps: One

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? The film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by the Glaswegian Alasdair Gray, a beloved writer, artist and dissident who had a major influence on contemporary Scottish literature.

The final word. Emma Stone: "Yorgos gave me sort of the brass-tacks overview of Bella, what she goes through and what the men in her life experience as a response to how she’s evolving. And I was just like, “Sign me up.” My God, she’s the greatest character I’ll probably ever get to play." New York Times

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