A few thoughts on "Poor Things"

Written by Bruna Ugá. 

    That's the only movie during the month of February which I've seen at the cinema theater and I'm glad I decided to do so because it is truly a spectacle to watch.

    Many scenes feel like a painting and convey a fantasy day-dream kind of look even though some aspects of the story are linked to our reality. Cities like Lisbon and Paris are shown here but in a more stylized way either from the modified architecture of these places or even the sky bathed in many different and beautiful colors. This makes a perfect contrast to the first part of the movie which is portrayed in black and white but that doesn't make it less visually interesting. The usage of distorted angles and lenses like the “fish eye” bring out even more the emotions in those scenes. 

At Lab-1 Movie Theater in Eindhoven.

    Another aspect that moves us away from our reality in this almost fantasy world are the many interesting characters: my favorite ones were Dr. Godwin Baxter - or “ God ” for short in a completely non-subtle way - who could have been portrayed by Willem Dafoe as just a crazy egocentric scientist but I believe more layers are shown through God's oblivious remarks about his traumatizing childhood and also his affection for Bella. Mark Ruffalo's Ducan Wedderburn could have been just a narcissistic and even cruel man - which he actually is - but he was the biggest reason for many of the laughs I shared during the film with his decline from a presumptuous “bon vivant” to a consumed man by his self inflicted madness and jealousy. 

    Of course the focus of this narrative depends on the beautiful performance by Emma Stone who portrays the protagonist Bella Baxter . I think the character could fall into the trope of the “ Born Sexy Yesterday ” since in the beginning of the movie SPOILERS AHEAD * she is literally a new born baby inside the body of an adult woman. That is specially described by her wobbly walk, lack of vocabulary (I believe her first words are “ba-ba” just like a baby) and inability to retain her bladder. But I'm glad that the movie doesn't take long for her mind to progress and she is able to develop in a much more rapid way than a true child would. Even though some of her actions are still very child-like for a large portion of the movie I feel that her curiosity about the world and people doesn't come from the naïve eyes of a child but from the inexperienced eyes of a human who feels the need to explore herself and everything around her - or everybody. 

    And this human happens to be a cis-woman which really impacts the way how others view her and how they think she should act before society. Before I had seen the movie the only thing that I knew was the “monster of Frankenstein” kind of plot and high number of sex scenes. But what stood out to me besides the beautiful imagery was the connections Bella makes with other characters and her sense of wonder or horror to the world around her. I think this is the most real aspect of the movie since all the relationships and interactions people have towards Bella are very palpable to us. I really wish there would have been more of it from the middle to end of the film because once SPOILERS AHEAD * she starts working at the brothel I do n't think we really get that besides her interactions with her French friend Toinette. By the end I was still able to enjoy the protagonist's trajectory and root for her impetuous way of being and acting - I was not only impressed but also inspired by Bella especially on how one should act when faced with society's restrictions to their bodies and minds. 

*Spoilers until the end of the sentence.