Poor Things

 Nominated For: Picture, Leading Actress (Emma Stone), Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Director (Yorgos Lanthimos), Original Score, Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Film Editing

IMBD Summary: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. 

One of the most grueling things about watching all of the best picture nominees (other than the fact there are 10 to sit through), is that they are rarely movies one can kick back and relax during each viewing. Almost every movie in this batch of nominees is a mental workout, and at times a rollercoaster, to endure. Sometimes it's the runtime (Killers of the Flower Moon), other times it's the subject matter (Zone of Interest). For this film, it was story itself and the manner in which it was told. 

Short take on this film - Frankenstein creature tells the Barbie-feminist oppression story, but with lots and lots of nudity and sexual awakening. Now, I think there's an interesting question in this film: what happens when someone is raised in the absence of any of the social constructs of our society? How does the way in which they interpret the world and those around them change when void of references? 

What I liked most about this film were the more background elements of this film. The film's nominated for best original score and I thought it did a wonderful job of providing an audible illustration of Bella's mind - when she was starting to learn and make connections and her strongly felt emotions. This category has been flying under the radar with how strong each of the nominees are and how much they enhance the storytelling. It's going to be a fun battle to watch play out on awards night. The production design is also noteworthy - it's a fantastical realism, almost like steampunk meets Tim Burton meets Dr. Suess. The locations are real, this world is not. As outlandish as they are, the settings give another view into Bella's ever expanding world. It's magical, heartbreaking, and interesting all at once. 

I'm not one to usually celebrate makeup and costuming, but again they add to the visual story and Bella's evolution. The color transitions and general clothing designs for Bella change to reflect her mental state and how she's characterized by those around her. She morphs from an innocent child in frilly dresses to loose and colorful as she first steps out into the world to buttoned up black when returning home and discovering her past. There's even more going on in her wardrobe, which I think describes her better than how she portrays herself with words. 

The performances of Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo are strong, even if they are a bit over the top. Stone is really showing off her acting range and this is not an easy role to take on. Even without her many nude scenes, she's being asked to do a lot of major and minor physical work to bring Bella and her learned experiences to life. Her character is constantly evolving from one scene to the next, so it requires much more than the traditional "getting into character" that we often seen in Oscar nominees. It's quite a role and display of her talents that is very, very different from what we have seen from her before. Ruffalo, on the other hand, is cutting loose and swinging for the fences in ridiculousness with his character - a far cry from the much more buttoned up and good guy characters we typically see from him. It's entertaining, and also kind of shattering to his "awe-shucks" nice guy image. 

The last Yorgos Lanthimos movie I saw was The Favourite, which was nominated a couple of years ago starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone. I loved that movie - it was unique, smart, and snarky all at the same time. I laughed out loud at multiple parts and enjoyed watching the three leads interact and outplay each other throughout the film. I can't say Poor Things was the same experience for me. It's telling an age-old story in a new viewpoint, which is why it's so highly touted by the critics, but it just wasn't enjoyable to watch. At many points, it was uncomfortable and stressful to watch and understand. This film falls into the same category as Shape of Water for me - I can appreciate the filmmaking and why it's included in this year's best picture nominees, but I'll never watch it again. And I'm not so sure I can recommend it either. 

I did thoroughly appreciate the surgery scenes, instrumentation, and anatomy lectures - they spoke to my heart and awakened my science-wired brain. Ah, the little details. 

Showing in select theaters; available for purchase on Amazon Prime.