Pauvres Créatures

This isn't an easy film to watch and capture everything it tries to convey, on the contrary, it's quite complex.

I'm not a deep connoisseur of Freud, on the contrary, I studied some of his texts when I went to journalism school, but I remember very little, I'm actually unfamiliar with the subject, but clearly "Poor Things" seems to me to work with some points of psychosexual development human developed by Freud.

I may be talking nonsense, but it seems to me that the sexual phases of children described by Freud (oral, anal, genital, etc.) are shown in Bella's development during the projection, as well as her total independence and freedom in relation to the world and in the passage of each of those phases, without being repressed, allowing her to reach the superego.

While working with complex concepts of the development of the human psyche, the film also flirts wonderfully with the frustrations of love, and social, political and human issues, and I honestly couldn't capture everything the work was offering me, a lot of details must have escaped my attention.

So much content, so much complexity, inserted in a spectacular, wonderful cinematography, with exuberant sets, elaborated down to the smallest details, with perfect use of vivid colors and black and white, actors shining on the screen, all of them without exception, incredible direction, and a soundtrack very strange that fits like a glove.

I rate it 8 out of 10 because my ignorance really didn't allow me to capture everything that was being offered to me, and at some moments I felt a little tired from demanding so much of my brain, but it's a great film in all aspects. It's just not for everyone, as it's not what you would call popcorn entertainment cinema, on the contrary, it's the opposite, and perhaps the trailer could mislead certain types of audiences.

Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and with around eleven nominations for the 2024 Oscars, Poor Creatures is a surrealist romance, with an M/16 rating, based on the literary work by Alasdair Gray that presents the life of Bella Baxter and her journey for knowledge and a fair, equal and free life in a secretive world oppressed by the moral norms of a society that hides in a veil of uncertainty.

Beginning in black and white, the viewer is introduced to the routine of scientist and anatomy professor Godwin Baxter (played by Willem Dafoe), a brilliant and peculiar scientist who "plays" with nature and, through logic and science, assembles and disassembles creatures, filling his house with four-legged ducks and pig-headed chickens. Tormented by his father (who was also a scientist and the founder of the university where he teaches), Godwin (nicknamed "God" by those closest to him, making a joke in English with the figure of "God") represents the dehumanisation of the Human Being through Science, where all the answers to the Human Body must be answered with crude, graphic and inhuman experiments (which fits in with the film's narrative, as it possibly takes place at the end of the 19th century). Godwin Baxter lives with his maid, Mrs Prim (played by Vicki Pepperdine) - who is the typical stereotype of a grumpy Victorian maid who obeys blindly - and with the slender Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone), a young adult who is initially treated as having cognitive disabilities and behaves like a child. For Bella, Godwin is the centre of the world (hence the pun on Bella's term "God"), but he is the same one who prevents her from seeing the world and oppresses her thirsty desire for exploration, behaving like the over-protective "oppressive father" often depicted in classic literature. After the viewer learns more about Bella's supposed past, we are introduced to Max McCandles (played by Ramy Youssef), Godwin's only student who doesn't judge him by his appearance and who gains his trust. Godwin invites Max to be his assistant and, later, to help him catalogue the evolution of Bella's behaviour. As time goes by, Bella develops a more refined intellect and a mutual affection for Max that leads to a marriage proposal and the creation of a document that further oppresses Bella's freedom, leading her to run away with a bohemian gallant called Duncan Wedderburn (played by Mark Ruffalo).

Separated into six parts, the narrative focuses on Bella's psychological growth and the way she begins to interpret the society around her, without moral filters and "pure" in a toxic society. Bella's life becomes a projection of the constant struggle for freedom and women's rights in a patriarchal world. From the discovery of carnal pleasure to the impact of the cruelty of social differences, Bella ends up travelling the world accompanied by Duncan, who initially just wants to live a life of luxury with Bella, abusing her innocence and lack of morals. From London they move on to Lisbon, where Pastel de Nata and Fado conquer Bella's heart (now in a world of colour), a cruise on the Mediterranean where philosophical questions about the meaning of life are challenged and finally Paris, where the political ideals of Socialism reach Bella's mind (and free herself from Duncan).

There are some surprising revelations in the course of the film that can't be revealed, as well as moments that take the viewer's breath away. The "horny" scenes (excessive in my opinion) represent Bella's indomitable and free spirit and the strong and important feminist message the film carries is remarkable. With sets straight out of fantasy books (Lisbon being the most superb) and curious costumes, Poor Creatures could be considered a lot of things, but it's definitely a sensational film. The choice of camera shots and the evolution from black and white to colour bring the film to life and we must highlight the performance of the incredible Carminho, an amazing Portuguese fado singer, who gives her voice to a remarkable moment. I therefore conclude this review with a rating of 9.5/10.

I very much enjoyed Poor Things and the performances done by Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. I was absolutely taken by the surrealistic set design and even psychological interaction depiction between the doctor and his patient Bella. A complicated and fanciful character is Bella inhabiting the resurrected body of her mother via a brain transplant. Oh my such medical technology. It's a good thing that's not possible yet today. Bella was gifted a free experience as she became conscious of the world and herself by her brilliant surgeon father a vocation as it turns out would become her lifetime vocation. The story continued on briefly after her father's death and an extensive excursion through life, relationships, and time. Generally speaking storyline, cinematography, set design, location, interactive character development we're all done to perfection. I've only touched on it a microscopic portion of the scope of this film. So much to enjoy here this little paragraph doesn't even begin to do it justice.

This is a very unusual movie. I enjoyed watching it, even though it felt awkward at times (as promised by the creators and many reviewers). In my opinion, many users who gave it a 1/10, missed the point. For sure, it is a movie for very mature and sophisticated audiences. It contains a lot of ugly truths about the world, so don't watch it if those bother you. (Don't watch it with teenagers, either, wait until they are 20 or 21.) I appreciated the creative direction, cinematography, and Emma Stone's acting talent. The plot covers multiple aspects of privilege and abuse in thought-provoking ways. On a very high level, you could say that it has some similarities to Barbie, but a very different approach. It is almost the anti-Barbie. The contrast between these two 2023 movies is definitely worth a class discussion in some graduate course of film criticism.

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his work from Dogtooth to The Lobster to Killing of a Sacred Deer to The Favorite. His work is divided among audiences but never fails to get a conversation started. Like most of his audience, there are movies of his in which I find myself drawn and can't look away and there are others which I find myself pulling away from. While Dogtooth and Sacred Deer never manage to grab my attention The Lobster and The Favorite are incredible. Poor Things is his most audience friendly film and maybe his biggest treat. Since the trailer alone shows how strange this one is going to be people are probably showing up for Emma Stone but the journey of Bella Baxter from child in an adult's body to fully developed woman is a journey that audiences should want to take. Poignant and surprisingly sweet for this director Emma shines in her best role yet. Everybody is great and Mark Ruffalo makes for a strong and funny support. Worth checking out for this alone.