Poor Things

Poor Things (2023)

Without giving too much away Emma Stone plays Bella, an experiment by Willem Defoe’s creative surgeon (see mad scientist). An inquisitive fresh creature navigating a curious and horny world with increasingly preposterous imposed rules.

If you’ve seen Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster you know you’re submerging into questionable waters. And if you’ve seen The Favourite then you can expect more of the same nuanced exploration of sexuality. Here Lanthimos creates a world to surrender yourself completely and disappear for two hours.

It’s the best I’ve seen Emma Stone. Its never sat right that her win was for La La Land. She was fine. But it felt premature. And looking back, frankly I was right. She’s been incredible in everything since (even Cruella). The Favouirte was outstanding and now this magnetic performance.

And then you have Willem Defoe’s unorthodox  genius demonstrating paternal vulnerability behind his unnerving scars and wickedly glib one-liners - all without flinching. In contrast Mark Ruffalo’s pompous self-assured lothario gamely matches Stone’s outrageousness. My introduction to Ruffalo was back in the early 2000s often appearing nude in some great racy indie films like XX/XY and In The Cut so it’s very comforting seeing him back to this mould and having a lot of fun after a decade playing the Hulk.

Written by Tony McNamara from Alasdair Gray’s novel this is a delicious commentary on status within a relationship and positions in broader society. All innocently dismantled with a childlike “but why?”.

Shifting from the cold starkness of black and white film noir to romantic pastel cities Poor Things is visually arresting, audibly stimulating and all-enveloping in a way that a trip to the cinema used to be when you were a child without distraction.

10 Dog-duck Thumbs Up! 👍🏻