Poor Things will definitely blow you away and hold you captivated by its weird and unique blend of drama and it’s dark narrative. It’s sure to be a rollercoaster of a ride that will make it an experience you will not forget 😳 I know that some people think this movie is too controversial and refuse to even watch it or review. So, I wanna give you props 🙌🏻 thanks for your review
actually I think more people who won't like this movie will think it's long, drawn out and boring with a lukewarm ending. :p The ending could have been much better. A fail in my opinion. The artistry of the move is amusing the acting is done well the ending is a flop.
Great film. Still processing it, and it's been a week. Weird, disgusting, shocking, gory, funny, thought-provoking, interesting, fantastical. I was fully engaged throughout.
This film had a major sexual element to it that I didn't quite expect, but then again I didn't expect ANY of it. It was a heady hybrid of foreign film, scifi, and moral examination, certainly not Disney material, but a tour de force for the ever-changing Emma Stone. But one of the most unexpected surprises for me came with the performance by Mark Ruffalo. He simply went where he has never gone before, and brilliantly. Come Oscar time, I think there'll be a big place for Yorgos and Company, and indeed, I believe that this entire decade will belong to this singular director.
standout masterpiece in a year of full of great film making achievements. Yorgos is firing on all cylinders and he has found his muse in Emma Stone who gives one of the most inspired performances of the last 10 years. For all of its weirdness, it is extremely accessible in my opinion and the most hopeful of Lanthimos' filmography. Don't be afraid of this film you will feel inspired by the end.
I absolutely loved it. I knew when I got done watching this that I had seen something special. It might just be a 10/10 for me. It's my favorite film of the year and has entered the list of some of my all-time faves. It's Yorgos's best film.
you must like crappy endings. That ending was a flop. Lukewarm at best. It could have been far more shocking or at least reasonably intelligent but it wasn't.
I am loving that we’ve officially entered an era where excellent roles are being written for and/or given to women and that women are leading films with critical acclaim and/or even box office success. People kept calling the inclusion of women in meaningful roles “woke”, and I feel like we are finally not thinking twice about it. It’s normal now.
Looking forward to see this bizarre adventure. Judging by the clips and trailers Emma simply crushed it. And yes, The Favorite was awesome, one of the best movies of it's year.
Great review! Greetings from Athens, Greece. We all are very proud of Lanthimos who started here making a small low budget personal film (Kinetta) and made it to become A list director!
I just got out of seeing it and badly needed to hear someone talk about it-in a positive way. I had to scroll past a few discouraging thumbnails, and am glad I found this channel. Every element of this film was, for me, a masterpiece.
Loved it. The ending was surprisingly satisfying and uplifting. For some reason I was expecting a gloomy ending. But instead I couldn't stop laughing and it gave a sense of great justice.
A movie review worthy of the movie itself. Thank you for saying just about all the things swirling around in my head about it. I felt just a little more alive after watching this movie. A delicious treat -- stimulating in so many ways. A monumental gift, somehow also including a compass for humanity, invisibly built in.
Definitely the best movie of 2023, without question. Very accurate and well-stated review. Also appreciate your take on the title-makes sense. Emma Stone was the definition of outstanding acting.
Just saw it today and I had the exact same thought about the "Barbie" reference/elements. I found Poor Things much, much funnier, less preachy (Gerwig always seems to include a feminist speech somewhere - as if the audience is too dumb to get it), and a much more satisfying ending without the men v. women trope that dominated Barbie. Mark Ruffalo is hilarious - his dancing cracked me up, and Emma Stone's evolution is pitch perfect. The set design is like a painting - the fantasy images of Victorian London, Lisbon and on the ship are a feast for the eyes. Yeah - it was long - but so what! It was entertaining. Will definitely be watching your reviews as they seem to be in sync with my preferences. Thanks!
I was afraid Poor Things would be too weird for me because The Favourite was also the only Lanthimos film I liked. Thanks for this review! I may check it out. Side question: Any plans to do reaction videos to Golden Globes or Oscars this year?
I love your take on the title! I couldn't put my finger on what I thought it meant but I like your explanation a lot. Is it influenced by something you read in the book, out of curiosity? I loved this movie so much. I was already primed to love it because Yorgos hasn't made a single movie that I don't enjoy, but this was somehow on a whole other level. I was also surprised by how wholesome, upbeat, and life-affirming this film was. It definitely has bite, but for a director who's work is often nihilistic or quietly devastating, this was just joyful and honestly kind of inspiring? Like, the very idea of shedding all your preconceived notions of how the world works and how you need to inhabit it and living purely for your own improvement and curiosity. Also I gotta mention TONY MCNAMARA'S WRITING!!! So dry and biting and hilarious. The dialogue during the dinner scene had me howling. And Jerskin Fendrix's score is unlike anything I've ever heard and I found it utterly brilliant. Also, I won't say how/when/why she's in the movie, but Margaret Qualley absolutely killed me. So funny.
Every year, when movies like poor things and other really good movies get released in December in the USA. I don’t know why, Germany decides to release the December films in January or even in March
I think we have the same problem in the UK and it's infuriating. Everyone in the U.S. is basking in the glow of all these remarkable films and we have to sit on the sidelines. I don't want to watch these on streaming. I don't want to torrent these films. I want to see them in the classic way, on the silver screen, in a theater.
Definately one of my favorite films of the year along with Spiderman Across the Spider-verse, Godzilla Minus One, The Boy and the Heron and GOTG 3. I thought it was amazing and reminded me a lot of when I first saw Edward Scissorhands and how Depp's character grew from childlike to an adult. I think they are great companion pieces despite the more adult aspects of Poor Things raising the stakes. I look forward to all Yorgos' films and this did not disappoint. Hoping for an Oscar for Emma for this film.
I agree with almost everything you've said, and I'm not even into overly artistic (for lack of a better word). This movie just pulled you in so quickly. It was intoxicating. The biggest take away from this movie for me was this movie was a completely perfect circle of life. She goes through every period of human development in the short span of the film.
Wonderful! I loved your review! I've seen the film twice, and I love how you highlighted the philosophical theme underneath. Honestly Thank you!!! Bella is so innocent, the same as an infant. It's a tragedy how society is determined to remove our child-like wonder and curiosity. However, you may notice there are still individuals in society who will embrace those child-like qualities. Those who dedicate their life to research and experiment without bias. Scientists, Engineers, Astrophysicists, Biologists, etc.. I am comforted by this objective story. I will not lose hope, I will always believe the world can be improved, I will always argue that outright evil behavior, is just simply ignorance. I strongly connect with the theme of this film, yet I believe only a balanced intellectual being can deeply connect with this story. An individual of Science, observation, and unbiased nature.
Just saw the film today for my birthday January 1st and loved it. I went with my mother who didnt enjoy it so much but did admire the craft. I loved the visuals the acting the dialogue and themes explored.
I would watch it again just for the sets, and I am rarely even aware of the sets in a movie. I am stil laughing out loud when I remember funny lines from the movie. A masterpiece of originality!
I’ve hated every one of his movies, so I was incredibly hesitant about Poor Things. But I loved it. The usual stilted acting and calculated dialogue was kept to a minimum here, and the dark comedy was far more lively and effective.
I have noticed that most of the best movies in 2023 were not exactly Hollywood made. Disappointed by Oppenheimer and Barbie but the foreign films are topnotched including poor things
Somehow I knew you would be all over this one Marianna. Sounds quite worthy. Now if only it would show up here in Tbilisi? Maybe after it gets a few nominations. Meanwhile do I see a theme here that runs through M3GAN, Barbie, and Poor Things and maybe even Taylor Swift? What do you think?
You should check out the directors 2009 film Dogtooth. That'll offer you an illuminating glimpse into his unusual mind. It gambles over the same territory... what is it like to be conditioned, by something other than societal 'social conditioning'.
Great review and brilliant film. I thought the run time was going to be an issue for me but I was wrong. Instant classic for me from the first frame to the last.
Spoiler! I feel like I may have missed the point of the movie. I saw it and I did get the message about humanity and evolving, however I feel like they oversexualized her. I mean, the movie felt like it was making her a sexual object, and also the scene right after they establish that she has a baby's brain they show her pleasing herself. I do think that her sexual evolution is important to the story, but it could have been communicated with less scenes, and maybe even show her evolution in other aspects. It makes a point to show her seeing pain in the word and wanting to fix it, and mentioned her going to socialist events to learn more, yet we never actually see these events, and in the end it doesn't show us her doing anything with it. I know that this director is well known for his artist vision, but shouldn't a story about a woman experiencing the perils and weird rules of society for women be directed by a woman? I feel like I am the only one who thinks this online, I don't want to argue, I'm just confused.
You're definitely not the only one, and everyone has a different comfort level with sexual content - I don't think there is anything wrong with feeling like it was a bit much. I thought it was fitting, but it was definitely A LOT, so I understand where you're coming from.
@@ImpressionBlend I agree. I tried watching Killing of A Sacred Deer and it made me cringe. Especially when it came to the deadpan delivery and bizarre dialogue.
Spoilers I loved it. I saw it blind without knowing what I was gonna get into since my bf took me. I loved the storytelling elements. The color grading and cameras used all tell the story. I think it was black and white when she was stuck at God’s house and then the color grading is just bright neon and so is the flying cars, when she’s in Lisbon cause it’s the first time she’s out. And the colors and fantastical elements of the world slowly fade as she’s on the cruise then Paris. It’s basically normal color grading from Paris onward as she matures. Her development is just so well done. I really loved that her outlook on life slowly changed like it’s all nice and rainbows then she sees the slaves and has the adolescent stage of the world is awful and then wanted to keep learning but cause of systemic issues she kinda had to work in a brothel for the most basic means of surviving. But I liked how even then she knew what she wanted and tried to dictate that but even in that state she had someone who took advantage of her the same way she probably experienced (madame swiney). And everything culminated when she took back her autonomy and stood up against Abbott at the end. It’s the culmination of her asserting herself and going against the patriarchy that told women that this is the role you play and nothing else. Any deviation and you have to be mutilated to comply. What kind of disturbed me was how Duncan was rightfully called out for predatory but how Mccandle’s character kind of wasn’t…? I know he still wanted to be with Bella after she matured but why did he agree when she was still basically a mental infant… that’s truly kind of creepy to me. Other than that I really enjoyed the movie it was long but honestly it didn’t feel so long… it’s the setup that felt on the long side. When things started, it moved by quick.
Out of pure curiosity, I watched Poor Things today. Oh man! This was painful to watch…I don’t know who was this movie made for, but it’s definitely not for me. In fact, it’s arguably, in my top 5 worst movies of all time 😂
@@ImpressionBlend yes. When I saw the trailer I was thinking that it was a Spike Jones film, mostly because of the title cards. Emma Stone looks great in the trailer as well.
Hi Marianna. Have you ever watched The Number 23 (2007)? Jim Carrey is in this film, but wow he does a great job in this film. In my top 5 films. Type of film that makes you really think
Willem DaFoe is perfect in this role. I hope he finally gets That Best Supporting Actor Oscar. he's so overdue and he's brilliant. he's also the heart of the film.
People need to stop expecting great films to wrap it up in less than 2 hours. If you were truly mesmerized & lost in the art, you wouldn’t be complaining about the length.
The movie resonates, as an AuDHDer myself, late realization, this movie that so many people find uncomfortable, weird or worse, was very recognizable to my experience of living in the neurotypical world. Noticing and speaking up about the inconsistencies only to get socially punished for it "this is not polite". Discovering stimming (yes, self pleasure is a stim too for many neurodivergent people) only to hear that we are not supposed to do that. People trying to force us in a mold, to fit their wants. ABA "therapy" , derived from conversion therapy, so we can all be good decent behaving h_teroseggsuals. Susceptibility to bad faith actors, due to the one thousand inconsistencies in social rules that neurotypicals define as "normal". Trying to subdue her, when predatory performative charm fails to work on her, with extreme medical violence even, see the last scene before the ending that the protagonist fortunately detected in time and could thwart. Generational trauma too, as Dafoe who was a victim of horrific child abuse becomes a perpetrator. Very common in the neurodivergent experience, due to it's hereditary factor, grand parents got beaten up for being weird, parents got yelled at for being weird, with luck the cycle stops there, with the new generation getting love, understanding and adequate support. I got lucky to watch the movie on it's own premises (I didn't even know it was labeled as a comedy), after enthusiastic recommendations in the alternative lifestyle circuit. As an European, the intimate scenes don't bother at all, hardly even noticed them. The grooming and abuse attempts, some succesful, were unsettling as they should be (though often ignored by bystanders in off screen life), though over time she reversed the tables on the perpetrators, who then whine pulling a DARVO, as they do in off screen life. In the end, she thrives. The others can nibble grass and leaves. Another bonus point, for the acting including the dance scene, that's a high intensity performance requiring lots of practice and stamina. As a dancer myself, I love that. So it seems that most people from the Big Country need a Clear Story TM and Character Development TM and less seggs (they're still British at heart, despite the hard fought independence) probably to be replaced with more sh_tg'n v10l_nce Rambo style, because that is fine and celebrated over there. Whereas other people from other countries and cultures can enjoy the flow, the colors, the music, even the few minutes of soft seggs, the weirdness (duck dogs), like floating along with a dream and dreams are allowed to have scary and unsettling parts too where I live. For me a re-watch just for the flow. But apparently a love it or hate it movie. Likely depending on one's culture or subculture.
Spoiler alert: there is rapid aging, so by the time things get explicit, she is already at the appropriate age for that, then aging further at elevated speed, becoming stronger and more resilient, in her own way. Motor skills looking not one's age is common for unmasked adult neurodivergent humans. Clumsy (dyspraxia), stimming via bouncing or wild dancing (also as adults), using formal words (because we read a lot and more advanced texts than neurotypical peers our age), not always having the "proper" emotional expression on our face (some autistics practice proper emotions in front of a mirror like a stage performance, to attempt to look "normal" in the eyes of neurotypicals). Also, a non-telegraphed open hand punch to the face is really effective, she is bad-ass in my view to use one, where it was really appropriate. With moderate force even, so to not go too far. Noticing the wonders of the world, purple skies, blimps in the sky, things most neurodivergent people perceive all the time and neurotypical persons miss, don't notice hence don't get. In the end, all the bad faith actors have terrible endings. Some complain that all the baddies are men, but so was in Charles Bronson's Death Wish and where was the moral outrage about that? In short, love the relatability of this movie.
I feel like Poor Things represents the dreams you have after doing a movie watching marathon (120hrs) world record set by Ashish Sharma. Breaking the previous record of Claudia Wavra.
Hey Marianna, when can we expect a top ten best list? Are you gonna do a list for the worst of the year? Sorry if I’m pushing it, I’m just so excited to see the lists! Big fan of yours by the way, you really helped me and a lot of other people through such a tough year.
No worries! I'll be publishing my Top 10 Underrated Movies of 2023 list this weekend, and the final top 10 next week. Never done a worst list though, not my vibe.
I know I'm in the minority in saying so, but I felt Barbie was overwritten and the heavy-handed, un-nuanced message was a big turn-off for me. This movie says something similar in a much more interesting way. I loved the sense of humor and bizarre world depicted with so much to glean from background details. Still, the second half does drag a bit, and once you nail down the allegory / prodigal son / coming-of-age story structure, it loses some of it's shine... The screenplay just gets a bit more predictable and "of its time" towards the end.. I think one character even says, "It's your body, it's your choice," in the 3rd act. This in and of itself means nothing, but when you start the movie you're dazzled and just trying to follow along with the imagination; when you finish the movie, you would have to struggle not to get the message because the writing loses all subtlety. It's hard to discuss without spoilers, but I really liked this movie and wanted to love it, but the 2nd half got too conventional (for lack of a better word?) for me.
So, we actually have a Mary Shelly celebration. We literally have TWO different takes on the Frankenstein mythos in the same year. I now await, Lisa Frankenstein. My hopes, are *very* high!
Very hard to find a positive review of this film without many people trashing it. The contentious reception surrounding this film lies in the misconception of its narrative as a child in a woman's body, rather than recognizing her as a conduit for exploring various stages of womanhood and the profound implications they bear on her sexuality, philosophy, and spirituality. Distinguishing itself from conventional narratives like Barbie, which often deliver their messages with overt simplicity, "Poor Things" adopts a more intricate approach to storytelling. It refuses to spoon-feed its audience moral lessons, opting instead to present thought-provoking inquiries. For instance, it delves into the discomforting realm of the "born sexy yesterday" trope not by explicitly denouncing it, but by vividly illustrating its presence and compelling viewers to ponder its ethical implications. It's not meant to be enjoyable to watch. In fact there were many things done to Bella throughout the film which I hated. I still found it to be an incredible film for being bold enough to make me face that discomfort. This nuanced tactic confronts viewers with their own beliefs, urging them to scrutinize why they hold certain convictions in a confrontational manner. In the realm of filmmaking, ease of digestion does not inherently equate to artistic merit. Conversely, complexity should not be misconstrued as a deficiency. So, yeah. I'd say it's more than a pedo's fantasy film, but I have no issue with you if that's how you see it. However, I'd say you need to stop forcing people to adopt your thoughts and feelings on it when they obviously see it as so much more than that.
Are you going to make a book vs movie vid on this? I really hope you do, would love to hear your thoughts because the book does something different with the narrative
@@ImpressionBlend yes! I just saw it this morning and hope to get the video up in the next few days, depending on how long it takes to edit (it's going to be a long one lol). I love your section here about who the poor things are! After i watched this video I went and included a quote from you in my script for the video :)
"Discovering your true self" is much more than forming your own perception or view about sex as contrasted with those of conventional society. My main problem with the film is that it hardly deals with other aspects or matters relating to personal growth. All that matters is sex and in that regard, I also think that the sex and nudity in the film was overdone. The message is clear that you have shown it once and you don't have to do it 101 times.
Eh. Seeing a lot of critics hype for this film but I'll wait to see it for myself. So far I'm not convinced by Yorgos Lanthimos' work tbh. I heard of lot of hype about The Lobster and was really dissapointed when I finally saw it. Found it weird (not in a good way), unfunny and inaccessible
I never really connected with "Dogtooth", "The Lobster" or "The Killing of a Sacred Deer", but "The Favourite" and now "Poor Things" are much more for me and imo a lot more interesting.
I love Yorgos older absurdist works (especially Dogtooth and the Lobster). These were written with Efthymis Filippou. His two latest works (the Favourite and Poor Things) are written with Tony McMannara and are more accessible. There are actually many hardcore Lanthimos fans that prefer his older movies more. I'm sitting in the middle, I actually enjoy all his works. I would actually put Dogtooth and The Lobster above The Favourite but I would put Poor Things at #1.
The book Poor Things written by the Scottish writer and artist Alistair Gray is set in Victorian Glasgow. The way women were treated in the 19th century by social constraints and by men wasn't ideal. At the beginning the main character of the book was a blank canvas to be manipulated by the male characters in the book but as she develops she becomes her own woman to their disappointment. The book Poor Things was published in 1992 and won the Whitbread award and the Guardian fiction prize the same year.
Definitely named one of the most controversial movies and i can see why. But people seeing Poor Things as disturbing clearly haven't seen Antichrist I also think that Poor Things told a feminist message better than Barbie in my opinion.
The only thing I got out of this was how weird it was that she was a literal child in the body of a woman and grown men fell in love with her (and did engage in sexual intercourse) and she even worked as a sex worker at one point. I kept wondering, is it her childish innocence that drew men to her? The whole movie just gave me weird, almost pedo vibes…
At first I thought this movie was made entirely with AI because it has the same uncanny valley aesthetic, and I wonder if that was exactly the intention.
I've hated The Lobster, I've disliked The Sacred Deer, I've LOVED The Favorite. Why? Simple: because Yanthimos and his buddy didn't write the latter's screenplay. Same goes for Poor Things, which is why I'm very optimistic.
You hated The Lobster more than Killing of the Sacred Deer? I thought The Lobster was clearly more thought provoking. Killing of the Sacred Deer was more absurdism for the sake of it. I liked Dogtooth and The Lobster more than The Favourite but I see you prefer his more accessible works.
@@theo7371 Maybe I disliked The Sacred Deer less than The Lobster because The Lobster's mental masturbation and artificial quirkiness took me by surprise, while I was fully prepared for the latter (that I watched only to be kind to an ex that looooved that kind of films). And yeah, I'm kinda slow, I prefer simple stuff, good, old-fashioned entertainment, like The Favorite. :D
I seem to be in the minority. I'm really not sure what so many people love about this film. It looked good with great production design and started well. Good performances in general. was interested to see where it went. I soon lost interest when it didn't really hold my interest and went in a different direction than i hoped. It didn't really explore the philosophy well at all. It leant too heavily on the sexual aspect. The social norms aspect is also misleading or skewed. It's not as clever as it thinks it is, by far. Missed the mark for me. I haven't read the book btw.
