Most of us have had them, these very special moments. It’s time for a movie night and the entire family, including parents and/or siblings, has gathered in front of the screen. Everything is going wonderfully, we let ourselves be intoxicated by beautiful images and brilliant stories – and then suddenly everything happens very, very unpleasant.
Anyone who knows Yorgos Lanthimos and his bitter, black dramedies (such as The Favorite) knows that his films are predestined for such experiences. His latest, available now on Disney+ Sci-Fi manifesto Poor Things is no exception. The film is visually stunning and deserves its four Oscars. But one of its greatest strengths makes it an absolute anti-family evening film.
Sci-Fi on Disney+: In Poor Things, Emma Stone becomes an adventurous Frankenstein experiment
When Bella (Emma Stone) sees the light of day in the laboratory of the rather unconventional scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), it is not the first time. Baxter has Bella after her death revived. A completely new, second life begins for them. For her, that means a lot of first experiences, a lot to learn, but also a separation from her creator-father-teacher figure Baxter.
Because Bella is not satisfied with the limits that Baxter imposes on her. Bella wants more, wants to see the world. Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) comes in handy. The lawyer seduces Bella and gives her the opportunity to get to know all of Europe. So the two of them elope without further ado. Bella doesn’t just go for one Travel to new placesbut also to yourself, including sexual awakening.
The Walt Disney Company Germany GmbH
Emma Stone in Poor Things
As Bella matures mentally, she sees through the world around her, which is less benevolent to women. But Bella wouldn’t be Bella if she let that get her down. Quite the opposite. She begins to develop her own philosophies, provokes and stands on her own two feet. What she doesn’t expect is her previous lifewhich one day catches up with them.
Sci-Fi tip: Poor Things is a fantastic character study that dares to get unpleasant at times
In addition to breathtaking backdrops and strange worlds, Poor Things has one thing in particular that impresses: with Bella as an increasingly self-determined, constantly developing main character. She grows through her adventures and her relationships and often holds a mirror up to those around her. Of course, this also includes the fact that they gets to know yourself. And on really all levels.
In some ways, Poor Things is a coming-of-age story that is as twisted as it is hopeful. For Bella, this includes hers, especially in a very conservative environment sexual self-determination and experience. Yorgos Lanthimos focuses on this in his bizarre, direct and sometimes unpleasant satirical way and confronts us with questions about autonomy, emancipation and corporeality.
The Walt Disney Company Germany GmbH
Emma Stone in Poor Things
Poor Things was particularly popular because of its numerous explicit sex scenes for a stir. In a Hollywood film of this magnitude, it’s rare that the actors bare so much in front of the camera. Lanthimos discusses sex on all levels. It’s about Bella’s desire, but also the question of what her desire and her body mean in the social structure around her.
Poor Things is only suitable for a solid movie night with the in-laws if you have a really unshakable relationship with it. But otherwise, this sci-fi fantasy is absolutely worth it. Bella’s development is embodied by a fabulous Emma Stone with such emotional, rousing skillthat she was right to take home the Oscar for Best Actress.
Anyone who wants to follow Bella’s development into an independent protagonist can now do so with a streaming subscription on Disney+ just two months after the film’s release.
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