By Riley Dauber
Lifestyle Editor
On Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominations. While the internet was up in arms about certain snubs, viewers cannot deny the Academy’s appreciation of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” which received 11 nominations, according to USA Today.
The film, which adapts Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, sees Lanthimos collaborate with Academy Award-winning actress Emma Stone; the two previously worked together on 2018’s “The Favourite.”
When “Poor Things” opens, viewers are introduced to the black-and-white world of Bella Baxter (Stone) and her creator, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willam Dafoe). Despite her grown-up appearance, Bella has the brain of a child, since she is one of Godwin’s experiments.
Dr. Godwin embraces his Victor Frankenstein trope, even allowing Bella to call him God, which at times feels genius and at others too on-the-nose.
During one of his surgical demonstrations, Dr. Godwin invites one of his students, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef), to his home to watch and study Bella’s development.
As Max and Bella spend more time together, the latter quickly matures, but soon realizes that she does not want to be contained in the mad scientist’s home — or even in a marriage to Max. So, with the help of a visiting lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), Bella escapes from her creator’s grasp and explores Europe, learning more about the world and herself.
The film’s main draw is Bella herself, who is a fascinating character brought perfectly to life by Stone, who won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for the role.
Thanks to her career-defining performance, viewers see Bella grow throughout the course of the film, whether she is leaving home, learning about her true identity, or having sex with a variety of different men.
Stone becomes this character, with her flowing black hair, manner of speech, and gait.
According to Vox, “This is a very physical, very grounded performance. Stone has a terrific walk; just a touch of Frankenstein jerkiness showing as Bella tries to control limbs she isn’t used to, head always on a swivel as she tries to take in more and more of the ever-fascinating brand new world.”
As the film continues, viewers cannot help but fall in love with Bella. Once she leaves the confines of her home in London, the film switches from moody black-and-white to bright Technicolor — all purples and blues that are pleasing to the eye. The dreamy atmosphere of Lisbon, the first city Bella visits with Duncan, matches her childlike views of the world. Having grown up with only “God” and his weird creations — animal hybrids that flounce around the house — Bella is a joy to watch as she discovers the real world.
In one stand-out scene, Bella joins her friend Harry (Jerrod Carmichael) during the cruise ship’s stop at Alexandria. Annoyed at her constant optimism, Harry shows Bella a group of poor, dead children who she cannot approach or help. Heartbroken at the cruelty of the world, Bella breaks down — a reaction that may resonate with viewers who have trouble facing the issues in the world around them.
Along with her engaging character journey, Bella’s costumes and the film’s themes are other strong components of the film. When she is at home, Bella wears classic Victorian outfits with big puffy sleeves, but when she starts traveling and dressing herself, she pairs the puffy-sleeved tops with plain short skirts. She is attempting to abide by society’s expectations of her, but she also wants to dress comfortably. The juxtaposition of the pieces not only create beautiful outfits, but also connect to the film’s overall themes of female liberation.
While Bella starts the film with an infant’s brain, her quick maturation leads to her curiosity about the world. She questions everything around her, from the way she is supposed to act to the sexual adventures she engages in.
According to Vox, “The allegory here is straightforward: Bella is infantilized Victorian femininity, a grown woman pushed by controlling men into living her life like a child. She finds redemption by taking control of her fate, body, and mind for herself.”
Even though Bella is tricked into staying with the foppish Duncan, she does not abide by his expectations of her. In one scene, the two are having dinner with another couple. After Bella makes a few sexual jokes, Duncan berates her and tells her she can only say three phrases. When they go back to the table, Bella sticks to his rules, resulting in a comical scene where she responds to the other woman’s sad remarks with the positive phrases.
In an interview with Vogue, Stone, who also produces the film, discussed taking on the character of Bella.
“The idea that you could start anew as a woman, as this body that’s already formed, and see everything for the first time and try to understand the nature of sexuality, or power, or money or choice, the ability to make choices and live by your own rules and not society’s — I thought that was a really fascinating world to go into,” Stone said. “These lessons that we go through in our lives over a long period of time are happening very quickly for her, and it was such a great opportunity to live an entire life that wasn’t marked at all by shame or trauma.”
“Poor Things” is a fascinating character study of a female Frankenstein’s monster that gives Stone plenty of room to shine. The film’s themes are engaging, the atmosphere and production design is gorgeous, and the costume design perfectly connects to Bella’s character growth.
If you can, make sure to see “Poor Things” on the big screen, especially ahead of the Academy Awards on March 10.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: Emma Stone won her first Academy Award for her performance in 2016’s “La La Land,” but she may win her second golden statue for “Poor Things.”