“But the film is never gratuitous; the film is interested not only in sexuality as a part of being human, but in how men often only twist that for their own gain and become frustrated and controlling when the same freedom a woman shows in the bedroom is manifested in other areas.” — Cinema Nerdz 

I caught previews of the movie Poor Things many times since its trailer was released and it piqued my interest, but not enough to go running to the theater, at least not until now. Reading the synopsis and reviews left me wanting to witness what reviewer Cinema Nerdz was calling “A deeply weird, beautifully constructed . . . steampunk fantasy.”

The film follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) after she is resurrected from death by Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) as she rediscovers the world around her. At the beginning, she is essentially an infant in an adult body, with Dr. Godwin replacing her brain with the brain of her unborn child she was pregnant with at the time of her suicide as a science experiment.  

As her brain developed, Bella began discovering femininity, and later discovering her own liberation. Many men in her life tried to control her, including the man who gave her life again, Dr. Godwin, but Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott) reveals himself later in the movie that he was Bella’s (referring to her as Victoria, which was her name before her death) husband before she committed suicide and wants her back. Alfie holds her hostage in his mansion after Bella figures out that she originally jumped from a bridge to escape his abuse.  

Cinema Nerdz accounts other films by the director Yorgos Lanthimos as “an acquired taste” and Poor Things is no exception, saying Lanthimos “is fond of aesthetics that recall a more Victorian/Steampunk vision of Tim Burton,” referring to the film’s details. The movie is full of Steampunk inspired airships and cruise liners, elegant Victorian estates, and Dr. Godwin’s lab is complete with robotic animals. The movie transitions from black and white scenes to full color as Bella mentally matures.  

Cinema Nerdz review covers why Poor Things is one of the best movies of the year by noting the beauty in how the film was directed, and real-life topics such as feminism, sexuality, and morality. Their review has left me making time in my own schedule to see this movie, as I too believe that this is a movie that is a must-see.  

Movie Review: Poor Things – CinemaNerdz. (2023, December 22). Cinemanerdz.com. https://cinemanerdz.com/movie-review-poor-things/