When Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos gained international attention with his twisted nightmarish black comedy Dogtooth in 2009 nobody could have predicted his career would have brought us here. An Oscar hopeful teamed up with one of Hollywood's most eminent leading ladies and more A-listers eager to join forces.
What’s really impressive though, is that despite the prestige and mainstream attention, Lanthimos has never lost that streak of weirdness that made his early work so special. And here we arrive at arguably his best film yet.
In Victorian London, we meet Godwin "God" Baxter (Willem Dafoe), a Frankenstein-esque eccentric scientist who invites his student, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) to study his most beloved creation, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). Bella appears to be a fully adult woman but has the growing mind of a very young child. Just as Bella and Max are growing close, sleazy lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) sweeps the vulnerable Bella off her feet to show her the world while also taking full advantage of her growing urge for sexual proclivity.
Watch: Emma Stone brings us behind the scenes on Poor Things
The clips in this article contain scenes suitable for a mature audience
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Emma Stone gives one of the bravest and boldest performances we’ve seen in a long time. Unpredictable but completely natural, heightened but sympathetic, hilarious but heart-wrenching. Her portrayal of the quickly maturing woman is a delight to watch.
As Bella learns the way of world and the awakens herself to gender inequalities and what is unfairly expected of her and other women, every movement, line delivery and expression seems meticulously honed yet effortless.
The supporting cast does well to keep up too. Mark Ruffalo’s scoundrel lawyer is a hoot and Defoe’s paternal "mad scientist" may have some misguided ethics but still wins the audience over with his gentle genius.
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It all pairs well with a hilariously shocking and bonkers script as well as that now familiar and surreal Lanthimos style. Stunningly lush sets shot by cinematographer, Robbie Ryan’s, fish eye lenses. This is Lanthimos’ most expensive film yet and the money is on the screen.
Truly a bold modern masterpiece and it’s partly Irish. Poor Things is the fourth Lanthimos film to come from the director’s team-up with Dublin’s Element Pictures.
One hopes that the nation gets behind this Oscar hopeful just as much as we did for The Banshees of Inisherin last year.
