“Poor Things” is a 2023 surreal, feminist science fiction comedy-drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It is based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name. Known for its visual style, dark humor, and profound exploration of identity and liberation, the film has been widely acclaimed and won the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
Set in a surreal, alternate version of Victorian-era Europe, Poor Things tells the story of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the eccentric and brilliant scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). The film opens with a jarring, dreamlike tone, introducing Bella as a childlike, naive adult woman with a grown body struggling to walk, speak, and understand the world. As it turns out, Baxter revived her after a suicide attempt, replacing her brain with that of her unborn child—giving her a second chance at life, but with the mind of a blank slate.
Under Baxter’s guardianship, Bella grows intellectually and emotionally rapidly, questioning the societal structures and gender expectations around her. Her development becomes a provocative reversal of the typical coming-of-age narrative: instead of being shaped by the world, Bella resists and reshapes it on her own terms.
When she meets Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a pompous and charming lawyer, Bella decides to leave her cloistered life and embark on a globe-spanning journey of sexual and philosophical discovery. Traveling through Lisbon, Alexandria, and Paris, Bella becomes an increasingly independent thinker, experiencing sensual and intellectual freedom. Along the way, she rejects conventional morality, questions patriarchy, and delights in the chaos and absurdity of the world.
As Bella learns and matures, she turns the tables on the men who try to possess or define her—especially Duncan, whose chauvinism becomes increasingly apparent. Meanwhile, Baxter struggles to maintain control over Bella, whose motivations may not be entirely benevolent, even as he pretends to encourage her independence.
The film culminates in a confrontation between Bella and the forces that have tried to constrain her—scientific, romantic, or societal. Ultimately, Bella fully claims her autonomy, forging her identity not from who she was or who others want her to be but from who she chooses to become.
Poor Things blends gothic horror, absurdist comedy, and radical feminist themes. It’s a story about rebuilding a life—and a mind—from the ground up, without limits on what that life can be.
The Other Cinema 