Venice 2023: Poor Things
The Venice Film Festival is officially over, and this year’s Golden Lion is awarded to none other than Poor Things, the new Yorgos Lanthimos dark comedy. Similarly to Roma, Joker, and The Shape of Water winning the highest prize in Italy’s most famous film festival, so too has Poor Things’ victory been interpreted as a desire from both the jury and the festival director Alberto Barbera to kickstart award season with what is likely to be a strong contender. While sometimes these awards do feel overly calculated and the winners undeserving of all the acclaim, this is one year where they got it right, for Poor Things is indeed the best film shown in competition.
An adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, Poor Things tells of the Frankenstein-esque story of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a suicide victim brought back to life by scientist Godwin ‘God’ Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Reborn with the mind of an infant, she grows at a steady pace with little to no regard for the customs of polite society, creating chaos and havoc among all the Victorian-era characters that she encounters.
Poor Things plays like a twisted and demented version of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, geared more towards adult audiences due to the film’s mature depiction of sex. In today’s cinematic landscape, it is hard to find a movie so carefree and blunt about sexual desire and discovery, a refreshing approach considering how sexless most Hollywood productions tend to be. Bella’s journey in the film is entirely driven by her agency and her innate desire to enjoy life and discover all the beauty in the world. The way that she nonchalantly describes her lust or how she joyfully enjoys a “pastel de nata” in Portugal, disgusting all those around her, is an ode to the weird beauty that is inside every human being, unfortunately stifled by antiquated societal taboos that still exist today. Women want to be like Bella, men want to be with her, yet everything that makes her so unique and alluring can be found inside of everyone, if only life was lived without shame and women were not treated as property.
This may be the most accomplished direction by Yorgos Lanthimos: not only is the dialogue as witty and sharp as ever (the smoothness of Gothic literature from the 18th century is hilariously contrasted with the vulgar straightforwardness of contemporary lingo), but the world is gorgeously brought to life in ways that are truly revolutionary. Be it the snowy streets of Paris, the colorful laboratory of God with duck-dog hybrids running around, or the lush interiors of a luxury cruise ship, Poor Things has stunning production design and ingenious use of CGI to create painterly backgrounds. The film is so firmly rooted in a fantasy world that it gives ample space to all the performers to chew up the scenery and have the time of their life: Emma Stone’s journey throughout the film, from illiterate and childish to confident and full of poise, is a sight to behold, while Mark Ruffalo steals every scene he is in as a slimy lawyer.
While it may not look like that at first, Poor Things ends up being one of the most important things to come out this year. In terms of female agency, the world needs more stories like this that subvert gender roles and show a strong character embracing her body, her desires, her hopes, and her dreams, which is achieved through immense charm and humor at the expense of patriarchal norms and boundaries. For Hollywood, this is important as it shows a true visionary reach full creative control, creating a work of art that is unlike anything that came before it, showing nothing but love for the craft of the actors and all those involved in making these visual dreams come true. Poor Things may just be one of those rare masterpieces that will inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers.