Satire films tend to vary in terms of their tone and content.
Get Out is a Jordan Peele horror flick about race relations with a horror angle. Knives Out is a murder mystery that deconstructs the upper-class hierarchy. Parasite is a black comedy suspense drama that examines the uneven social structure in South Korea and how the classes feed off each other. Most recently, Saltburn is a psychological thriller that critiques both the lower and upper classes’ perceptions and the dangers of social climbing.
But what about the human condition and the human psyche? How do they react to the larger world? Furthermore, how can an individual develop one’s autonomy in society? And what does that mean if said individual is a woman?
Poor Things is the latest social satire film from director Yorgos Lanthimos. Based on the 1992 novel by the late Alasdair Gray, it is a quirky science-fiction coming-of-age story set in the Victorian era. The film explores issues of identity, gender, memory, relationships, trauma, and the inequalities of social class. Rather than just examining the social class structure, the wider focus is on the cruelty that people inflict upon human beings, albeit with a Frankenstein-type approach. Written by Tony McNamara, the script explores the importance of free will and free agency, as well as how people can be controlled in various ways for different reasons.
Bella Baxter, played by Emma Stone, is a young woman living in Victorian-era London around the time of the late Ninetieth Century. Her guardian is physician Dr. Godwin Baxter (Wille Dafoe), a cantankerous surgeon who’s known for his scarred features. Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) is one of Godwin’s students, and he takes a job assisting him with his experiments. He meets Bella for the first time and is intrigued with her. It becomes apparent that she is acting in a very childlike manner, and her motor skills are far below that of an adult. Bella can speak on the level of a toddler, and she’s grappling with various emotions that are hard to handle, such as excitement, confusion, frustration, and anger. She has a large amount of curiosity, but it is clear that she’s being controlled by Godwin. When pressed by Max to explain, Godwin reveals he found a pregnant woman who died after jumping off a bridge sometime in the past. Although she was technically dead, there was still a spark of life in her, and he transplanted the fetus’ brain into the mother’s body. Consequently, Bella is the result of that experiment; she is both a woman and a child. The reason for Godwin’s twisted experiments stems from his traumatic childhood. Due to having been abused by his father, Godwin is unable to procreate and even digest food properly. He views Bella as being the daughter that he was never able to have. Max is horrified to learn the truth, but he is still infatuated with her. Godwin encourages him to marry Bella, but he insists that she must be kept inside and hidden from the outside world. Although he is deeply troubled by Godwin’s actions, Max remains willing to go along with the marriage plan despite his misgivings.
Meanwhile, Bella quickly gains intelligence, discovers sexuality, and expresses a strong desire to venture beyond the house and see what life has to offer. She starts by sneaking out onto the roof and making observations about Godwin’s behaviour. It is becoming apparent that Bella is reaching maturity and gaining an awareness of her isolated, confined existence. While she still loves Godwin, she is frustrated about his wanting to keep a firm hold on her life. Attorney Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) is brought in to draw up a marriage contract between Max and Bella, but the latter becomes intrigued with the slightly older man. The pair decide to run away together, leaving Max heartbroken and Godwin furious.
Bella and Duncan head to Lisbon where they embark on a love affair. It is here that Bella discovers the joys of sexual intercourse, which she refers to as “furious jumping.” However, Duncan is slowly revealed to be a conceited and self-absorbed man. He finds Bella’s innate curiosity and lack of social cues to be an embarrassment for him because he feels he can no longer control her. This results in a hilarious dinner aboard a cruise ship where Bella leaves Duncan horrified and the other guests amused. During this time, Bella learns about philosophy from two fellow passengers Harry (Jerrod Carmichael) and Martha (Hanna Schygulla), who believe in the concepts of free agency and reason. Harry explains to Bella that all human beings have the potential for cruelty, but he urges her to think for herself.
Moved by the tragedy of a recent earthquake in Alexandria, Bella gives all of Duncan’s travel funds to help the poor victims, but two devious sailors steal the money for themselves. Unable to pay for their voyage, Duncan and Bella are dropped off at the next port in France. Upon arriving in Paris, Bella is forced to use her wits and intelligence to acquire money. Poverty and hunger cause her to leave Duncan behind and go to work as a prostitute at a local brothel. During this time, Bella learns about the concept of socialism from the resident madam, as well as gaining a friend and casual lover in local street walker Toinette (Suzy Bemba).
Back in England, Godwin has largely moved on with his career life, but he harbours feelings of guilt for how he treated his foster daughter. What’s troubling, however, is that he has decided to recreate the experiment that created Bella. All the while, Max is still worried over Bella’s safety and well-being. When Bella decides to return home, she will have to decide the life she wants to have. Yet there is one question about Bella that remains: who is she really? And what could have driven her to jump off a bridge in the first place? Life has one more challenge in store for Bella, and it will put her to the test.
Lanthimos proves himself to be an excellent director of film. Having previously worked with Stone on The Favorite, he manages to keep the story centered on Bella’s journey while critiquing the repressive, austere world in which she lives. The filmmaker juxtaposes the story of Bella coming into her own while various people struggle and fail to control her. By placing the story in the Victorian era, Lanthimos examines how women were repressed and dominated in an age where men prided themselves on being civilized and advanced in terms of logic and reason.
Stone continues to demonstrate her versatility as an actress, and her talent is on display for all to see. As Bella, she goes from a childish, immature state to a young woman acquiring knowledge to a mature, confident individual. Her perception of society and men in general is one of skepticism and disdain. Perhaps Stone’s most stunning moment is when Bella realizes that she doesn’t need a man to approve of her actions or way of thinking. One could say the film is an examination of growth and learning.
Dafoe is in fine form as Godwin. Buried under facial prosthetics, the veteran character actor manages to be both complex and endearing in the role. He manages to peel back the disagreeable side of Godwin’s visage and show the flawed humanity underneath. This is a man who finds it hard to open up to people and be vulnerable. His paternal concern for Bella shows this is a complex, damaged human being who does care. While the viewer disagrees with Godwin’s actions and worldview, it is not hard to understand how he became the person he is.
Ruffalo delivers a solid performance as Duncan. Having shot to fame by playing likable and good-natured individuals, the actor manages to extend his range by showing a not-so-nice side to his character. Initially, a seemingly-sophisticated lawyer, Duncan turns out to be a feckless cad who’s selfish, immature, and full of his own ego. What starts as a seemingly genuine interest in Bella is revealed to be a desire to wield control over her. It is clear that Ruffalo succeeds in challenging audience expectations by having this character turn out to not be so nice after all.
Youssef does well in the role of Max. He is the audience surrogate for the viewer; one can see him experiencing curiosity, confusion, horror, and disgust as he uncovers the true nature of Godwin’s experiments. It is Max’s sincerity and gentle nature that endear him to Bella. The character is not without faults, though, because he is somewhat passive and finds it hard to speak his mind. He also goes along with Godwin’s unorthodox and even immoral designs without complaining much. Ultimately, Max’s relationship with Bella forces him to come to a hard realization where he has to take responsibility for his actions. Youssef’s portrayal of Max is that of a quiet, understated performance.
The rest of the cast are memorable in their roles. Jerrod Carmichael is unique as Harry because he’s one of the few male characters who doesn’t try to manipulate Bella for his own desires. As a black man, he has known and experienced human cruelty firsthand, so he does have a point about being cynical toward society in general. Harry’s most significant moment is showing Bella the poverty happening in Alexandria, which leads to the latter’s idealism being shattered. While his method is rather jarring, he does have a point in urging Bella to find her own path. Similarly, Suzy Bemba’s Toinette is a black woman who has been forced to find her own way in life, and she proves to be a source of support and comfort for Bella. It is Toinette’s socialist ideology that causes Bella to discover an attraction to her. Hanna Schygulla’s Martha is a welcome, laid-back presence who encourages Bella to continue learning. She is confident and not afraid to speak her opinions, no matter how outspoken they may be.
In terms of production values, Poor Things is quite a visual spectacle to behold. This is the first feature film to be partially shot on Kodak’s 35 mm Ektachrome reversal film stock, which could very well become a future standard for the motion picture industry. Robbie Ryan’s cinematography is impressive in depicting the grim, austere reality of Godwin’s life in plain black and white, which gives the look and feel of an early David Lynch film. Upon Bella’s venturing out into the world, the film palette switches over to a vibrant, colourful look. The recreation of Victorian-era London is quite fantastic to look at, but the film’s later scenes set in Lisbon and Alexandria feature steampunk and futuristic elements on display. This gives the movie a sense of being old-fashioned and modern at the same time.
Yorgos Mavropsaridis’ editing keeps the focus on the characters’ facial reactions and body language while keeping the visual set pieces in the background. Holly Waddington’s costume designs are important because they highlight Bella’s growth as a character throughout the film. In the first chronological scene featuring the character, she is depicted wearing traditional puffy Victorian attire that indicates her feelings of confinement and repression. As the story progresses, she takes to wearing more bizarre clothing and even more corseted gowns as she comes into her own. Furthermore, pop musician Jerskin Fendrix’s film score has an eclectic sort of feel with electropop, punk, classical, and experimental pop sounds. The composer uses traditional instruments such as pipes and organs, but he also incorporates synthesizers sampled breaths and vocals, and mallets to underscore Bella’s journey to personhood.
Overall, Poor Things is a unique, offbeat interpretation of the Frankenstein narrative and coming-of-age stories. Lanthimos continues to delight and impress audiences with his direction by focusing on the relationships between individuals. Stone, Dafoe, Ruffalo, and the cast deliver complex, intriguing performances. Ryan’s cinematographic work, Mayropsaridis’ editing, and Fendrix’s score are equally memorable. Four and a half out of five stars.
