Poor Things
people who don’t enjoy this film simply aren’t the audience for a yorgos film. i don’t think it equates feminism to sexual liberation either like most people believe but also i don’t think it’s a feminist film to begin with (nothing directed by a man can be truly feminist).
if anything, it’s a freudian take on discovery through sexual experiences and how bella learns about herself, society and women’s position in patriarchy. the way the men around her try to exploit her “innocence” and cling onto it like a trophy is so disturbing but reflects well on how men view women (madonna vs whore). men controlling her own perception of things is something she constantly questions too and she becomes a sex worker not just out of curiosity but necessity to survive which again is real life. it still sparks an interesting feminist debate regarding sex work but i wouldn’t consider it a feminist diatribe because there’s so much more that could be explored beyond a woman’s sexuality plus freud is far from feminist. but i guess that’s just yorgos for you.
i still love this film in its own right from the surrealism, emma stone’s performance (“i must punch that baby”) to even the score. the frankenstein concept is played out disturbingly well.