Poor Things
Strange, weird, fanciful, and engrossing. The Frankenstein angle
is a minor part of the story. The heart of the story is Bella’s journey. Bella is
a reanimated woman who just committed suicide. Her new life starts in infancy.
She spits out distasteful food and is petulant, smashing dishes at will. The
story is about her discovery of her new life which is unencumbered by society's
mores. She is the one who defines herself
as a woman.
The film has a fantastic quality. It reminds me of the movie
“Brazil” with its unnatural setting and strange characters. With a few
exceptions, the actors are boxed into their characters. Mark Ruffolo is a comical
cad. He gives a wonderful performance and his acting is over the top but appropriate
for the role. William Defoe is the archetypical
mad scientist. He is Bella’s surrogate father. He is part unethical surgeon, slicing
and dicing cadavers but tender with Bella.
Bella is a challenging role for Emma Stone. In the beginning,
she is childlike. In the course of the film Bella evolves. Bad romances shape
her. For her prostitution is a means to buy chocolate eclairs. A word of
caution, there are many sex scenes, more comical than arousal. There is lots of
nudity, some nice others not. The sex scenes are energetic and more suggestive than
graphic.
The movie is funny; the audience laughed more than I did.
The costumes are extravagant and an important part of this eclectic film. In
some scenes, the director Yorgos Lanthimos, uses extreme wide-angle shots distorting
the frame adding to the surreal nature of the film.
The film won several accolades, including the Venice Golden
Lion and a 92% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. It is a curious entertaining film.
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