Poor Things

Poor Things starring Emma Stone was released at the end of December and it reminds us that film should be creative and a little bit weird. The movie takes risks and gives the audience a visually interesting exploration of humanity. Emma Stone delivers an Oscar winning performance and Mark Ruffalo delivers one of his most entertaining performances to date. Poor Things is sure to get the academy’s attention come nomination day and I can’t wait to see it receive recognition.

Let's start with the acting. It was like the role of Bella Baxter was written specifically for Emma Stone. The role is complex and strange and right up her alley. At the beginning of the movie Bella is essentially an infant, she knows nothing and her speech is very limited. As she experiences the world and is influenced by the people around her she grows and develops into a whole person. That means the actor has to portray not only different age and intelligence levels, but has to show the audience their development through really just facial expressions and movement. And Emma Stone does a truly phenomenal job. She was expressive and very easy to read. If she is not nominated by the academy I will be truly shocked. Next up we got to see a much more complex side of Mark Ruffalo. He was hilarious and rough and we have really never seen him act in this range before.

The story was compelling and easy to follow. I loved the message of self discovery and growing up. Though portions of the movie fixated on it, growing up is more than just discovering sex and freedom. The film also depicts that growing up is about discovering heartbreak, violence, cruelty, and agency. I also love how Bella handled the various situations she was in. When the lover she had taken got aggressive, or otherwise emotional she remained unbothered, cool and logical. Never once did she allow someone else’s feelings to sway her from what she wanted. And nothing that she wanted ever harmed anyone. So when you want to do something and men are standing in your way or trying to manipulate you out of it you simply ignore their existence and continue with whatever you would like to do.

The pacing was great for the first 2 acts of the movie but the third felt very disjointed. The third act just seemed to take a weird and unnecessary turn, it also felt like it was a little bit rushed. I think the film could have been about a half hour shorter. The whole Victoria’s husband coming for her and bringing her back to his manor seemed like a tangent that was not well thought out or resolved. If we simply got rid of that and replaced it with more of Bella wanting to be a doctor then I think it would have been a stronger ending. Or if they had put God's brain into army man’s body so that he stays alive, also would have been a better ending.

Overall I think it was a great movie, visually it was the most interesting film constructed this year. The film clearly used practical effects, miniatures and fisheye lenses to create a fantastical fictional world based on our real one. The use of color and black and white really enhanced the story. We only spend a short time in black and white and it is really used to clarify the withholding of information. Black and white seems like sort of a trend in film lately but Poor Things uses it appropriately. And it is so beautiful to watch. The film earns a very strong 9.5/10, only half a point off for that third act. Poor Things is an innovation in film and one of the best directed films of the year.