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Poor Things is a 2023 black comedy fantasy film based on the book of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The plot concerns a young woman who is brought back to life. It was released on December 8, 2023.
Synopsis
The young woman Bella Baxter is brought back to life by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Wanting to see more of the world, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, and travels across continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella demands equality and liberation.
Plot
In Victorian London, medical student Max McCandles becomes an assistant to surgeon Dr. Godwin Baxter and his maid Mrs. Prim. He meets and falls in love with Godwin's ward, a childlike young woman named Bella whose intelligence is rapidly developing. Godwin reveals that the woman, who was pregnant, had committed suicide by leaping off a bridge. He resurrected her by swapping her brain for that of her still-living baby, resulting in her having an infant's mind. With Godwin's permission, Max asks for Bella's hand in marriage. Bella accepts but desiring freedom as she matures, runs off with foppish lawyer Duncan Wedderburn. Deciding to let Bella go, Godwin starts a new experiment with a young woman named Felicity, whose intelligence is developing much slower than Bella did.
Bella and Duncan embark on a grand journey, starting in Lisbon, where the two engage in frequent sex in addition to other forms of hedonism. Bella becomes difficult for Duncan to control so he smuggles her onto a cruise ship for a change of scenery. On the ship, she befriends fellow passengers Martha and Harry and opens her mind to philosophy. An exasperated Duncan starts to indulge in drinking and gambling. During a stop at Alexandria, Bella is profoundly affected after witnessing the misery of the locals. She donates away Duncan's winnings, which are in turn stolen by the crew. Unable to afford the rest of the trip, the two are kicked off the ship at Marseille, after which they make their way to Paris. Having run out of funds, Bella begins working at a brothel, further enraging Duncan and resulting in his mental breakdown, finally leading her to abandon him. At the brothel, she comes under the tutelage of Madame Swiney and befriends fellow prostitute Toinette, who introduces her to socialism.
A terminally-ill Godwin asks Max to bring Bella to him. Max locates Bella after tracking down Duncan, who has been institutionalized after his breakdown. Returning to London, Bella reconciles with Godwin and renews her vows with Max. The two are interrupted by Duncan and General Alfie Blessington on their wedding day. Alfie, addressing Bella as Victoria, reveals that they were married before her disappearance and that he has come to reclaim her. Bella abandons Max to learn of her past life. She quickly realizes Alfie's violent and sadistic nature; she had in fact committed suicide to escape their unhappy marriage. He confines Bella to his mansion and threatens her at gunpoint to submit to genital mutilation, demanding she drink a chloroform-laced cocktail to sedate her for the procedure. She tosses the cocktail in his face, causing him to shoot himself in the foot before passing out.
Godwin dies peacefully with Bella and Max at his side. Bella decides to carry on Godwin's work with the help of Max, Toinette and Mrs. Prim; Alfie has his brain swapped for that of a goat, while Felicity's intelligence is finally progressing.
Cast
- Emma Stone as Bella Baxter/Victoria Blessington
- Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn
- Willem Dafoe as Dr. Godwin "God" Baxter
- Ramy Youssef as Max McCandles
- Christopher Abbott as Alfie Blessington
- Kathryn Hunter as Madame Swiney
- Jerrod Carmichael as Harry Astley
- Hanna Schygulla as Martha Von Kurtzroc
- Margaret Qualley as Felicity
- Vicki Pepperdine as Mrs. Prim
- Suzy Bemba as Toinette
- Tom Stourton as Steward
- Wayne Brett as Priest
- Carminho as Fado singing woman
- Jerskin Fendrix as Lisbon restaurant musician
Production
The film was announced in February 2021 with Yorgos Lanthimos directing and with Emma Stone starring after having worked together on The Favourite.[1] Casting for the rest of the cast shortly followed,[2][3][4] filming began in August later that year.[5]
On July 25, 2023, TheWrap reported that they had pushed back the film's release date from September 8, 2023 to December 8, 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.[6]
Videos
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Trivia
- Jerrod Carmichael is a producer on Ramy Youssef's Hulu comedy Ramy.
- This is the second film by Yorgos Lanthimos to star Emma Stone, the first being The Favourite. He reunited with her for Kinds of Kindness (along with Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley), and then Bugonia.
- Following the announcement of Disney shifting physical media to Sony Pictures Entertainment, this film is currently expected to be the last Searchlight Pictures film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on physical media in the United States and Canada.
References
- ↑ White, James (February 3, 2021). "Yorgos Lanthimos And Emma Stone Reportedly Reuniting For Frankenstein-Style Tale Poor Things". Empire.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 10, 2021). "Willem Dafoe In Talks To Co-Star In Yorgos Lanthimos Adaptation of ‘Poor Things’ For Searchlight and Film4". Deadline.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 13, 2021). "Ramy Youssef In Talks To Join Emma Stone In Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’ For Searchlight & Film4". Deadline.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (May 21, 2021). "Mark Ruffalo Joins Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos Feature ‘Poor Things’". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Varga, Denes (October 5, 2021). "Hungarian Film Industry Is Booming in 2021". Film New Europe.
- ↑ Chitwood, Adam (July 25, 2023). "Emma Stone-Led ‘Poor Things’ Pushed to December". TheWrap.
