Poor Things (film)

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Poor Things
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay byTony McNamara
Based onPoor Things
by Alasdair Gray
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobbie Ryan[1]
Edited byYorgos Mavropsaridis
Music byJerskin Fendrix
Production
companies
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Venice)
  • December 8, 2023 (2023-12-08) (United States)
  • January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12) (Ireland and United Kingdom)
Running time
141 minutes[2]
Countries
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[3]
Box office$2.8 million[4][5]

Poor Things is a 2023 romantic science fantasy black comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara.[6] It is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael. Its plot focuses on Bella Baxter, a young Victorian woman who, after being crudely resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation.

Poor Things premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, where it won the Golden Lion. It was released in the United States on December 8, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024, by Searchlight Pictures. The film received acclaim from critics, particularly for Stone's performance, and was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review. It has also been nominated for seven Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Plot[edit]

In Victorian London, medical student Max McCandles becomes an assistant to surgeon Dr. Godwin Baxter. He begins working at the Baxter townhouse, where he meets and falls in love with Godwin's ward, a childlike young woman named Bella. Godwin reveals that the woman, who was pregnant, had committed suicide by leaping off a bridge. After recovering her corpse, he resurrected her by swapping her brain for that of her still living baby, resulting in her having an infant's mind. With Godwin's permission, Max asks for Bella's hand in marriage. Bella accepts but desiring freedom as she matures, runs off with foppish lawyer Duncan Wedderburn. Deciding to let Bella go, Godwin starts a new experiment with a young woman named Felicity.

Bella and Duncan embark on a grand journey, starting in Lisbon, where the two engage in frequent sex in addition to other forms of hedonism. Bella becomes increasingly difficult for Duncan to control, so he smuggles her onto a cruise ship for a change of scenery. On the ship, she befriends fellow passengers Martha and Harry and opens up her mind to philosophy. An increasingly exasperated Duncan starts to indulge in drinking and gambling. During a stop at Alexandria, Bella is profoundly affected after witnessing the misery of the locals. She gathers Duncan's winnings and gives them away, which are in turn stolen by the crew. Unable to afford the rest of the trip, the two are kicked off the ship at Marseille, after which they make their way to Paris. Having completely run out of funds, Bella begins working at a brothel, further enraging Duncan and resulting in his mental breakdown. During her time at the brothel, she comes under the tutelage of Madame Swiney and befriends a fellow prostitute, Toinette, who introduces her to socialism.

A terminally ill Godwin asks Max to bring Bella to him. Max locates Bella after tracking down Duncan, who has been institutionalized following his breakdown. Returning to London, Bella reconciles with Godwin and renews her vows with Max, but the two are interrupted by Duncan and General Alfie Blessington on their wedding day. Alfie, addressing Bella as Victoria, reveals that they married before her disappearance and that he has come to reclaim her. Bella chooses to abandon Max to learn of her past life. She quickly realizes Alfie's violent and sadistic nature and that she had committed suicide to get out of their unhappy marriage. He confines Bella to his mansion and later threatens her at gunpoint to submit to genital mutilation, demanding she drink a chloroform-laced cocktail to sedate her for the procedure; instead, she tosses the cocktail in his face, causing him to shoot himself in the foot before passing out.

Godwin dies peacefully with Bella and Max at his side. Bella decides to carry on Godwin's work with the help of Max and Toinette, while Alfie is revealed to have had his brain swapped for that of a goat.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Produced by Film4 Productions, Element Pictures, TSG Entertainment, and Searchlight Pictures, development on the film began as early as 2009, when Lanthimos went to Scotland to discuss with the author of Poor Things, Alasdair Gray, the acquisition of the rights to his novel. "He was a very lovely man," Lanthimos shared, "Unfortunately, he died just a couple of years before we actually made the film, but he was very special and energetic; he was 80-something [when we met], and as soon as I got there, he had seen Dogtooth and said, 'I had my friend put on the DVD, because I don’t know how to operate these things, but I think you're very talented, young man.'" Lanthimos shared that Gray took him on a personal tour of Glasgow, where Gray showed Lanthimos several places that he had incorporated into the story.[7]

While filming The Favourite (2018), Lanthimos revisited the project, which he discussed with Emma Stone, who also starred in the film. Lanthimos began developing Poor Things more actively following the success of The Favourite: “After the relative success of The Favourite, where I actually made a slightly more expensive film that was successful, people were more inclined to allow me to do whatever it is that I wanted, so I just went back to Gray’s book and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ It was a long process, but the book was always on my mind.” While developing the film, Lanthimos and Stone collaborated with each other on the short film Bleat (2022).[8]

Pre-production[edit]

Poor Things was officially announced in February 2021.[9] Lanthimos felt that working with Stone again gave him an advantage to the production, as they had developed a mutual trust towards one another. Stone also discussed how the process of making Poor Things was different in comparison to The Favourite because she also acted as a producer: “It was so interesting to be involved in how the film was being pieced together, from cast to department heads to what have you. Ultimately, Yorgos was the one making those decisions, but I was very involved in the process, which started during the pandemic; we were reaching out to people and casting and everything during that time, because we couldn’t go anywhere.”[8]

Casting[edit]

Willem Dafoe entered negotiations to join the cast in March 2021.[10] By April, Ramy Youssef was in talks to join.[11] Dafoe and Youssef were confirmed to join in May, with Mark Ruffalo and Jerrod Carmichael also added to the cast in May.[12][13] In September, Christopher Abbott was cast.[14] In November, Margaret Qualley and Suzy Bemba were cast,[15] with Kathryn Hunter revealing she had a role in the film as well.[16]

In preparation for her role, Stone took dance lessons and dyed her hair black, which she admitted was accidental. Lanthimos reflected that the dark hair contrasted with Stone's fair complexion so much that they agreed to go forward with the look.[17][18] Describing her characterization of Bella, Stone was attracted to the idea of portraying a woman reborn with a liberated mindset free from societal pressures:

"It's such a fairy tale, and a metaphor—clearly, this can't actually happen—but 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 especially appreciated Bella's lack of shame in regards to her experiences:

Even though Bella has obviously been through trauma in her life, it just isn't there for her now. She was the most joyous character in the world to play, because she has no shame about anything. She's new, you know? I've never had to build a character before that didn't have things that had happened to them or had been put on them by society throughout their lives. It was an extremely freeing experience to be her.[8]

Youssef revealed that in preparation for their roles, he and Dafoe attended mortician school. Reflecting on the "experimental theater games" Lanthimos assigned the cast prior filming, Dafoe shared, "You’re very patient with everyone, and everyone’s patient with you. They need to be confident in what they’re doing, because what we’re doing is quite risky. It’s not a normal film."[17] Additionally, Dafoe spent six hours each day in the hair and makeup department - four hours getting extensive prosthetics applied to his face at the start of the day and two hours to get it all taken off at the end of the day.[19]

Discussing the male characterizations, Lanthimos acknowledged that while each male character was different and had their own individual motivations, they each represented male attitudes typical of the story's Victorian setting. Lanthimos stated:

"There are variations, I guess, but in this film, there's a general tendency to try to control [Bella]—even if it's done in a caring or subtle way, in the way that a parent might or that [Dafoe's character] Baxter does, or just being infatuated in the way that Ramy is. You know, being a nice man deep down, but still having the characteristics of a man of that era." Stone also asserted that "the more agency Bella gets, the more she learns and grows, the more it drives these men insane. The more she has an opinion and her own wants and needs and all of that, it makes them crazy; they want her to stay this sort of pure thing."[8]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography took place in Hungary, beginning in August 2021 at Origo Studios in Budapest[20] and wrapping in December of that year.[21] According to cinematographer Robbie Ryan, Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula served as the main source of inspiration for everyone making the picture and the one movie that was referred to more than most.[22]

Costumes[edit]

Lanthimos worked closely with costume designer Holly Waddington in order to reflect Bella's growth and development through her wardrobe, from the more puffy silhouettes of her childlike era to the nearly corseted gown she wears at the film's climax.[citation needed]

Stone further elaborated on Bella's growth reflected through her costumes, detailing how in the beginning of the story, Bella dresses in more traditional clothing of the era, and, following her transformation, begins to dress herself in more bizarre clothes. Stone said:

"I loved that element of, how would Bella put clothing together with the way her mind works at this point? At the end, there are these very military-looking dresses that look like nothing you've seen Bella wear; things are much more form-fitting and constrained, but that's because she's come to a place where she's grown and decided who she is and what she's going to do. She's not assimilating, necessarily, but there's just more structure there."[8]

Music[edit]

Release[edit]

Poor Things had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023,[2][23] and was also screened at the Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival, and the Sitges Film Festival.[24][25][26][27][28] The film had a limited theatrical release by Searchlight Pictures in the United States on December 8, 2023, with a scheduled wide release for December 22, 2023.[29][30] It will be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 12, 2024.[31] It was previously scheduled to be released on September 8, 2023,[32][33] but was delayed to its December date due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[29]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

In its limited opening weekend, the film made $644,000 from nine theaters, a per-venue average of $71,556 (the third-best of 2023).[34] Expanding to 82 theaters the following weekend the film made $2.2 million, finishing in 10th.[35]

Critical response[edit]

Emma Stone received critical acclaim for her performance.[36]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 245 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Wildly imaginative and exhilaratingly over the top, Poor Things is a bizarre, brilliant tour de force for director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone."[37] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[38] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while 68% of those polled by PostTrak called the film "excellent," with 75% saying they would definitely recommend it.[34]

Stephanie Zacharek of Time wrote that Poor Things is "Lanthimos' finest movie so far, a strange, gorgeous-looking picture that extends generosity both to its characters and the audience". She found Stone's performance "wonderful—vital, exploratory, almost lunar in its perfect oddness."[39] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it a "virtuoso comic epic" and added that Stone had given a "hilarious, beyond-next-level performance".[40] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter termed it "an insanely enjoyable fairy tale", adding that Stone "gorges on it in a fearless performance that traces an expansive arc most actors could only dream about".[41] Variety's Guy Lodge also believed that the film "rests on a single astonishing performance by Stone".[42]

BBC Culture's Nicholas Barber found the film "outrageous and hilarious", comparing it to the work of Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam. The review also noted that the novel's realistic nineteenth-century setting had been changed to a fantastical "steam-punk wonderland", and that some of its satirical humor and most of its socialist and feminist themes had been toned down.[43] Reviews by The Guardian,[40] Variety[42] and Entertainment Weekly[44] also underline the steampunk elements of the setting. Conversely, Manohla Dargis, chief critic of The New York Times, was not as impressed. She felt the story became more "monotonal, flat and dull" over time, writing that the movie's "design is rich, its ideas thin. ... It isn’t long into Poor Things that you start to feel as if you were being bullied into admiring a movie that’s so deeply self-satisfied there really isn’t room for the two of you." Nevertheless, she too lauded Stone's acting.[45]

Ramin Setoodeh and Zack Sharf in Variety commented, "But not everyone loved Poor Things. A stream of [Venice] theatergoers bolted for the exit during some of the racier scenes."[46] Mick LaSalle at the San Francisco Chronicle called the film "a 141-minute mistake" and asserted, "Worst of all, it's dishonest. It purports to be a feminist document, but it defines a woman's autonomy as the ability to be exploited and not care. ... What version of feminism are these guys — Lanthimos and screenwriter Tony McNamara — trying to sell us here?"[47] Film critic Scott Mantz applauded LaSalle's post, finding the film "a seriously misguided take on female empowerment", though he praised the film's ambition and production values.[48]

Accolades[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
American Film Institute Awards December 7, 2023 Top 10 Films of the Year Poor Things Won[a] [49]
Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards January 6, 2024 Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos Pending [50]
Best Actress Emma Stone Pending
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Pending
February 26, 2024 Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Pending
Best Costume Design Holly Waddington Pending
Best Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Pending
Best Hair and Makeup Nadia Stacey Pending
Best Score Jerskin Fendrix Pending
Best Visual Effects Poor Things Pending
Black Reel Awards January 16, 2024 Outstanding Breakthrough Performance Jerrod Carmichael Pending [51]
Boston Society of Film Critics December 10, 2023 Best Actress Emma Stone Runner-up[b] [52]
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo Runner-up[c]
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Runner-up
Camerimage November 18, 2023 Golden Frog Nominated [53]
[54]
Bronze Frog Won
Audience Award Yorgos Lanthimos Won
Chicago Film Critics Association December 12, 2023 Best Film Poor Things Nominated [55]
Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos Nominated
Best Actress Emma Stone Won
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Nominated
Best Art Direction and Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Nominated
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Nominated
Best Costume Design Holly Waddington Won
Best Original Score Jerskin Fendrix Nominated
Best Use of Visual Effects Poor Things Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 14, 2024 Best Picture Pending [56]
Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos Pending
Best Actress Emma Stone Pending
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo Pending
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Pending
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Pending
Best Editing Yorgos Mavropsaridis Pending
Best Costume Design Holly Waddington Pending
Best Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Pending
Best Score Jerskin Fendrix Pending
Best Hair and Makeup Poor Things Pending
Best Visual Effects Pending
Best Comedy Pending
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association December 18, 2023 Top 10 Films of the Year 4th Place [57]
Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos 4th Place
Best Actress Emma Stone Second
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo 4th Place
Florida Film Critics Circle December 21, 2023 Best Actress Emma Stone Runner-up [58][59]
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Won
Best Art Direction and Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Runner-up
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Nominated
Best Visual Effects Poor Things Nominated
Ghent International Film Festival October 21, 2023 Best Film Nominated [60]
Georges Delerue Award for Best Original Music Jerskin Fendrix Won [61]
Golden Globe Awards January 7, 2024 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Poor Things Pending [50]
Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Emma Stone Pending
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Willem Dafoe Pending
Mark Ruffalo Pending
Best Screenplay Tony McNamara Pending
Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos Pending
Best Original Score Jerskin Fendrix Pending
Gotham Independent Film Awards November 27, 2023 Best International Feature Poor Things Nominated [62]
IndieWire Critics Poll December 11, 2023 Best Film 3rd place [63]
Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos 3rd place
Best Performance Emma Stone Won
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Runner-up
Best Screenplay Tony McNamara 7th place
La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival October 22, 2023 Grand Prix du Jury Poor Things Nominated [64]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association December 10, 2023 Best Director Yorgos Lanthimos Runner-up [65]
Best Lead Performance Emma Stone Won
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Won
Best Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Runner-up
Miskolc International Film Festival September 9, 2023 Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film Poor Things Nominated [66]
National Board of Review December 6, 2023 Top Ten Films Won[a] [67]
Best Supporting Actor Mark Ruffalo Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Won
Palm Springs International Film Festival January 4, 2024 Desert Palm Achievement Award – Actress Emma Stone Won [68]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 11, 2024 American Riviera Award Mark Ruffalo Won [69]
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association December 17, 2023 Best Actress Emma Stone Nominated [70]
Best Costume Design Holly Waddington Runner-up
Best Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Runner-up
Stockholm International Film Festival November 21, 2023 Audience Award Poor Things Won [71]
Toronto Film Critics Association December 17, 2023 Outstanding Lead Performance Emma Stone Runner-up[d] [72]
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Runner-up[e]
Venice International Film Festival September 9, 2023 Golden Lion Yorgos Lanthimos Won [73]
UNIMED Award – Best Film Won [74]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 10, 2023 Best Director Nominated [75]
[76]
Best Actress Emma Stone Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara Nominated
Best Cinematography Robbie Ryan Nominated
Best Original Score Jerskin Fendrix Nominated
Best Production Design James Price and Shona Heath Nominated

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b This award does not have a single winner, but recognizes multiple films.
  2. ^ Shared with Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall and Natalie Portman for May December.
  3. ^ Shared with Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer and Charles Melton for May December.
  4. ^ Shared with Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers, Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers, and Kôji Yakusho for Perfect Days.
  5. ^ Shared with Andrew Haigh for All of Us Strangers.

References[edit]

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