Saturday, May 11, 2024

Poor Things (2023)

Poor Things (2023)

starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe
directed and produced by Yorgos Lanthimos

142 minutes

Scientist Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) restores life to the body of a dead woman. She was pregnant at the time she jumped from a bridge in London. He takes the brain of the unborn child and places it in the woman's head. He names her Bella Baxter (Emma Stone). Godwin, or God as he prefers to be called, cares for Bella. It takes time for her brain to develop.

God makes plans for Bella to marry Max, his assistant. Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a lawyer, convinces Bella to go with him to Lisbon. God reluctantly lets her go. Bella embarks on a journey that takes her from London to Lisbon to Alexandria to Paris and then finally back to London. She grows along the way from a childlike woman into one who has very definite ideas of what she wants.

Thoughts

The last sentence of my summary basically sums up the movie as succinctly as possible.

There are steampunk and gothic horror elements in this movie. The ending was a bit abrupt but it worked for me. The lead actors were all excellent. 

This is a story about a journey of discovery. I found it to be very engaging. I wasn't bored by it in the least bit. I found the ending to be oddly moving.

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