Yorgos Lanthimos is a director yet to put a foot wrong. A visionary whose filmography is thus far populated only by success stories, Lanthimos is following his greatest triumph with one that looks set to travel the same award-adorned and critically-praised path that propelled The Favourite to stardom. Reuniting with Emma Stone, Poor Things adapts Alasdair Gray's novel of the same name for this boundary-pushing science-fiction romance comedy.
Given a brand new life by an unorthodox scientist, Bella Baxter seeks to explore a world previously unknown to her and travels the continents in a series of whirlwind adventures that lead her to many personal, political and liberating discoveries. Stone leads an impressive feature featuring Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef.
As idiosyncratic as they come, there's no mistaking that Yorgos Lanthimos is the visionary behind Poor Things, a film riddled with the artistic flourishes and confident strokes of a director in total control of their craft and cinematic voice. Birthing an impossibly powerful yet endlessly entertaining voyage into a wonderland of sexuality, autonomy and humanity, Lanthimos indulges in a Frankenstenian playground of gothic tones and raunchy depictions that results in a provocative and incomparably brave cinematic experience that deserves to be seen in all its daring glory.
So much of Lanthimos' personality is poured into Poor Things, with every inch of it is designed to fascinate, compel and reveal, with a morbid curiosity that such a confident cinematic language can afford. A match made in aesthetic heaven, Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan utilises the fish lens and extremely wide angles that are now a staple of Lanthimos' work, but still manage to experiment in their movements and presentation, delivering a most visually-captivating pictures through their dreamy collaboration. From the breathtaking set and costume design to exquisite visual mastery, every frame of Poor Things is a marvel, a wondrous display of practical effects and richly detailed work that often holds more than one initial glance could provide. Further enhanced by the severe musical scoring of Jerskin Fendrix, a brilliantly striking and purposefully discordant piece which heightens the peculiar tone and whimsical atmosphere of the piece tenfold, Poor Things is a treasure chest of enchanting artistic delights that just keep being discovered.
Thanks to the audacious screenplay from Tony McNamara, Poor Things' solid foundations allow the film to take bold and creative risks that mostly pay off. With some hilarious one-liners and a central character whose discoveries are both endearing and entertaining, Poor Things' darkly comedic heart is undoubtedly amusing, but the screenplay's emotional undercurrent is what elevate it to real excellence. With a deftness that comes from the creative freedom that occurs when masters of their craft work together with one united vision, these themes and characters are explored with a real tenacity, making for one of the most intelligent, astute and radical pieces of cinema of the year. It's not often we get to bask in the opportunity of a fresh perspective, particularly within a period setting, Lanthimos, Stone and team revel in the opportunity to do so and their musings on life, society and femininity are fascinating
With such delightful, obscenely gleeful abandon, Emma Stone gives Poor Things her everything, with one of the most utterly fearless performances the silver screen has seen in some time. With no airs or graces and an unparalleled commitment to Bella Baxter's story, Stone's playful yet richly textured approach is so singular in its innovation and all the stronger for it. Stone tackles a complicated character in such an uninhibited full throttle manner: it's so difficult to define Baxter because her evolution is so continuous, but given Stone's range and flexibility as an actress to meet any requirement makes her the perfect choice for such a mercurial character. Of course, Stone benefits from strong writing and confident direction, but Poor Things would completely crumble without her mesmeric turn to anchor the ship. No actress could come close to delivering this wonderfully-calibrated turn.
While a showcase for Stone through and through, her supporting cast provide lively and entertaining assistance for Bella's journey through debauchery and discovery. Willem Dafoe's weird scientist and Mark Ruffalo's idiotic wannabe lover strap themselves in for this wild ride, each delivering dedicated performances free from a vanity that would taint the overall whimsy of the film and its messages. Ramy Youssef's somewhat straighter performance provides the film with an often-needed reprieve, while Kathryn Hunter is deserving of a mention for her fascinating, layered performance.
Poor Things is an acquired taste, for sure, but has all the makings of a future classic - and one that will only further reveal its brilliance with subsequent viewing. While a little bloated towards the end, as its begins to sag, it is nevertheless a wholly entertaining yet sharply intelligent picture that takes a unique premise and makes the absolute most of it. Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone prove themselves to be one of the most daring collaborators in the industry with a fearless effort that deserves to sweep a number of categories at any relevant award show - from the costumes to the score to the sets, the cinematography to, indeed, Stone's exemplary lead performance, discovering Poor Things would be an absurdly good idea.