Thursday, 21 December 2023

Poor Things

Official Australian release date: 26/12/23. Viewed: 22/12/23.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Actors: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef
Genre: Drama / Romance
Rating: MA

‘Poor Things’ is… weird and hard to fully explain. It has elements of sci-fi, Frankenstein, romance, comedy and drama, as well as oddly framed camera angles, lots of fish-eye lens and keyhole shots. It follows Bella (Stone) and her “father”/creator, Godwin (Dafoe, who does well to still be able to act in his mask), Bella’s fiancée Max (Youssef) and fling Duncan (Ruffalo). The film's technically set in the 19th century, but in a fictional world.

We follow Bella as she grows and learns what the world’s about, through 6 distinct acts – London, Lisbon, Alexandria, Paris and London again. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Godwin is a faux Frankenstein/Geppetto, w with Bella his Frankenstein’s Monster/Pinocchio. While the first 40min is all black & white, it establishes that we’re in a fantastical/un-real world and enables what follows to not be too jarring. Once Bella gains independence, her and Duncan go on a trip and we’re back in colour and there’s lots of nods to Wes Anderson.

There is a lot of sex and nudity from Stone, as Bella explores her sexuality. It often adds to the story, but not always. Stone is excellent as Bella, giving her a peculiar gait and way of talking to always make sure you know the character is not a normal adult. Ruffalo has some fun moments, and Dafoe’s always good, making Godwin into an empathetic character. I didn’t love the score and some of the cinematography, although the sky when they’re on the boat is captivating. At 140min, it’s probably 30min too long and while different, it with sometimes feels like odd things are thrown in just for oddness’ sake.

Overall: Unique, odd, sex-filled journey

Gav's Rating: 3 stars 

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