Poor Things

42nd Cambridge Film Festival (2023) For my first ever festival movie, I’d say it was a pretty solid experience. This is probably by favourite Yorgos Lanthimos film. The world building is pretty fucking extraordinary. The environments Lanthimos creates resemble a crazed blend of Mary Shelley and Alice in Wonderland. Emma Stone’s performance is delightfully oblivious, until it’s not. Dafoe and Ruffalo really help sell this bizzaro world built around Bella Baxter. The score fit the film well but I don’t think I’ll be listening to it in my own time. The film’s runtime is justified but it did feel as though it dragged a bit especially towards the end. I really loved the use of the fish eye lens and the overall experimental nature of the cinematography - it made the film feel as though it had individuality. Having said all of this, I feel like this movie is going to split audiences right down the middle once it gets a wide release in January. Judging by Yorgos’ characteristically bluntly written script and an overall unclear message I think it’ll certainly divide audiences and critics alike. I can also say with confidence that I think it’ll bomb at the box office. Not because I think it’s a bad film but because it’s a high budget Yorgos Lanthimos film that is being released in the month of January (aka cinematic no man’s land). Just like Babylon and The Northman before it, it seems unlikely that the film will profit despite its quality.