If Barbie was the feminist anthem of the summer, then Poor Things is its weirder, more complex counterpart.
Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his strange comedies like The Lobster and The Favourite. Poor Things sets itself apart as a film about self-discovery, bodily autonomy and what it means to grow up female in 19th century Europe. However, the film falls victim to the male gaze in moments when women are perceived from a masculine viewpoint.
Poor Things is based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray and follows Bella Baxter, played by Emma Stone. Baxter is a scientific experiment — a woman with the brain of an infant. Her creator is Dr. Godwin Baxter, played by Willem Dafoe, to whom Baxter lovingly refers as God.
Confined to God’s house in London, Baxter grows bored and wishes to explore the world. A wealthy lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn, played by Mark Ruffalo, offers Baxter the opportunity to flee to Europe and together they set off to see the world.
The film begins in monochrome black and white, however, once Baxter flees God’s house, the screen opens up to reveal a vivid, colourful wonderland of life. Stone describes Baxter as “fall[ing] in love with life itself.” As she takes in the view of Lisbon for the first time and stuffs her face with custard tarts, viewers feel her pure joy in being alive radiating off the screen.
Director Lanthimos takes viewers on a trip around Europe, each stop highlighting Baxter’s growth.
In Lisbon, she explores sexual pleasure, while in Alexandria she discovers philosophy and encounters poverty and injustice. In Paris, Baxter is broke and finds financial freedom by working in a brothel to support herself through medical school. Returning home to God’s house in London, Baxter delves into her past and uncovers who she is and where she comes from.
Poor Things explores toxic masculinity through the men in Baxter’s life who want to control her. God shelters Baxter and locks her inside his house before her Europe trip. Wedderburn is infatuated with Baxter and wants her to love and depend on him. When Baxter works at the brothel, Wedderburn is disgusted by her lack of shame in being a sex worker. Other men in Baxter’s life simply see her as a sexual object and wish to marry her without knowing anything about her.
Baxter breaks free from these confinements by taking control of her body and mind. She educates herself on socialism through reading and financially supports herself through medical school. Baxter is fearlessly independent and does not conform to “polite society.”
Poor Things is also unbelievably funny. Stone brilliantly portrays Baxter’s innocence and excitement of the world — shoving too much food in her mouth, throwing temper tantrums over ice cream and dancing wildly and shamelessly in public.
In a world that constantly tells women how to act or what’s right, Baxter is shamelessly herself and forges her own path to freedom.
Poor Things is not, however, a perfect feminist film. It is written and directed by men and this is most clearly reflected during sexual scenes where the film leans closer to the male gaze than a female discovery of sexuality. Where is Baxter discovering menstruation, for example? This key aspect of womanhood is kept out of the film.
Further, the film heavily centres around Baxter’s relationship with men and tender moments between female characters are often short and fleeting.
The eerie, jumpy soundtrack and lavish costumes further the film’s fantastical feel. The soundtrack is quirky and bubbly and yet, contains screeching jarring sounds as Baxter begins to realize truths about herself and the world.
Also, Baxter wears big, puffy-sleeved dresses in extravagant colours, a physical sign of her otherness compared to her masculine counterparts. Her costume represents her childlike wonder of the world, and as Baxter matures her wardrobe shifts to monochromatic colours.
Though Poor Things is not a direct copy of Frankenstein, the themes of self-discovery and transformation are evident.
When faced with a world that aims to trap her, Baxter remains unapologetically herself. Ultimately, viewers are left wondering who the “poor things” in the film truly are: Baxter or the men obsessed with controlling her?
Featured image from IMDb.
