Poor Things is a surrealist film directed by critically acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. Set to release in the United States on December 8, 2023, the movie premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Poor Things is based on a 1992 novel of the same name by Scottish author Alasdair Gray. The novel went on to win the Whitbread Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in the same year as it was published.
The upcoming film adaptation of the book is written by Tony McNamara. Lanthimos is known for creating offbeat films like The Lobster and The Favourite, and fans can't wait to see what he brings to the table with this movie, which stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Margaret Qualley, and others.
Poor Things is based on Bella Baxter, who is brought back to life by Dr. Godwin Baxter
Scottish author Alasdair Gray wrote the novel Poor Things in 1992 and it left Yorgos Lanthimos intrigued. The director also met the late author years before the filming of the movie began.
The novel is based on Bella Baxter, (played by Emma Stone in the film) who is a young woman brought back to life by Dr. Godwin Baxter (portrayed by Willem Dafoe). The plot of the novel centers around Bella and how she navigates situations in her new life.
The novel also follows Archibald McCandless, a medical student in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 1880s, who becomes fascinated with the mysterious Bella, who was purportedly the creation of the evil scientist, Baxter. She was brought back to life just to appease her patron's desires. Archibald's motivation to free Bella is revealed to be as self-centered as Godwin's, who takes both her body and spirit, as his yearning grows into an obsession.
Bella, though, has her own interests to explore. In the novel, she is seen examining her position as a woman in the shadow of patriarchy and is aware that it is up to her to break free and choose whether or not true love is important to her.
The film deviates a little from the plot of the novel and focuses on the story of Bella Baxter, a young woman who meets a horrible end before she is revived by a brilliant mad scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.
Bella struggles to regain her sense of identity and understand how the world works. With Dr. Godwin's help, she makes an effort. However, as she feels lost and trapped, she escapes and goes on a fantastical journey with a dubious lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (played by Mark Ruffalo). Bella develops as a person and looks for solutions as she navigates several stereotypes and prejudices in the pursuit of emancipation.
The upcoming film sheds light on Bella and her journey from being a naive childlike person to becoming a more mature and unfiltered woman in a largely patriarchal society. In addition to love, Bella's interactions with Godwin, McCandless, and Wedderburn are characterized by control. These two forces coexist and become entangled, compelling Bella to alter her perspective on the world.
Poor Things is a dark comedy and features brilliant performances by Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo among others. The film will get its theatrical release in the United States on December 8, 2023, and will premiere in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024.