Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Exploration Into The Richness Of Life
In 2018, director and screenwriter Yorgos Lanthimos unveiled his film titled The Favourite; set in the 18th century, and revolving around the relationship of Sarah Churchill (played by Rachel Weisz) and Abigail Hill (played by Emma Stone) as they pursue the favor of Queen Anne so as to presume the throne. It marked the first collaboration between the director and Emma Stone, setting off an eventual partnership that would see itself through 4 feature films, and a short film titled Bleat, which saw American audiences for the first time at the 61st New York Film Festival in October of 2023.
Shortly following the duos endeavors on the set of the short film, the feature film (and instant cult classic) Poor Things, based on the novel by Alasdair Gray, hit the screen and showcased the dynamic range the actress-director possessed.
Following a Frankenstein like creation, Poor Things sees Emma Stone play the role of Bella Baxter, a character whose being is molded by Doctor Godwin Baxter, or God as he is called by Bella. It is apparent from the beginning that Bella Baxter is a result of a laboratory procedure; medical equipment delineated against the blueprint like being that is Bella.
The films costume designer, Holly Waddington, won a 2024 Academy Award for the film. The wardrobe of each character is what helps set the tone of the film, eccentric and vibrant with the curiosity of fantasy, drawing from Victorian like dress and incorporating a palatable set of colors; something Lanthimos also suffused into the film, the use of color to expand on the films connection to the sentiments of existence, using foundational elements, a technique that when done right: in the case of Poor Things, lends to a films imprint on the viewer.
The film also explored the anatomy of the human condition, drawing on elements of the naked human body, and the exploration of companionship; of Bella’s journey and discovery of sex (“furious jumping” as it is called by Bella), and of the commitment to another, and the endeavor of self liberation.
Poor Things uses real cities like Lisbon and Paris, and transforms them into reverie like creations; figments pulled from a nebulous cloud wet with dreams that hangs suspended above reality. This is where color, production design, and the wacky are used to convey an atmosphere of surrealism; prompting one to ask if it is a tool used to symbolize the way in which Bella’s character (who has been planted with the brain of a child) sees the world, caught in a web of fantasy mixed with fact.
Lanthimos recently revealed to Cineuropa that in secret, he and Emma Stone have filmed a new body of work together, not to be confused with the fourth collaboration and highly anticipated upcoming film Kinds of Kindness. It is said to have been filmed in Greece, and marks the fifth piece the duo has worked on. Not much has been shared of the clandestine film, but more is expected to come soon, and as Lanthimos suggests, will be more in theme with his earlier works like The Lobster and the aforementioned The Favourite.