To someone who knows absolutely nothing about this movie, the narrative unfolds in s slightly confusing way, but things are explained soon enough. Most things anyway.
In sumptuous color, we see an elegantly attired woman jumping off a bridge, with desolation in her eyes. Then we see in black and while the same woman, somewhat younger-looking, banging on a piano. We soon become quite familiar, at least visually, with the awkward movement and clueless verbal exchange of this unattractive (facial beauty notwithstanding) creature Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), Dr Godwin Baxter's (Willem Dafoe) daughters, most likely adopted. The first appearance of Godwin's face may make some in the audience shudder, but only the every timid ones. And they'll get used to it. These sewn up lines on his face, together with similar atrocities in other parts of his body, are the torturous reminders of how Godwin's monster of a father had been using his own son for experiments. Bella doesn't mind God's face though. "God is lovely, like dog face" she reassures him.
It is quite obvious the mental growth of Bella hasn't quite match her physical growth. God's student Max (Ramy Youssef) tries to help coaching her. Not a lot of progress thought. "Bella nowhere girl" seems to be her only understanding. The full story is soon revealed. God collected the dead body of this woman who jumped off a bridge and replaced her brain with that of an infant's. There was one scene, at the early stage of this experiment, when Emma Stone has to portray what goes through in infant girl's mine when she discovers the joy of masturbation in the body of a grown up woman she possesses. Stone may well win and Oscar just with this scene. Bella, however, is a work-in-progress and the audience observe her "maturing" through the movie.
Enters Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a cad through and through, taking Bella on a grand tour of the real world which includes glamorous European cities and a luxury boat tour. En route, there are friendly characters, one of which gives Bella words of wisdom such as "Hope is smashable; reality is not". Bella also initiates "an interesting experiment to live with nothing", by giving Duncan's money away, to the last penny, to the poor and needy.
Through this interesting experience, I can spot two places referencing classic scenes in movies. One is when Duncan tries to educate Bella to speak in a fashion suitable for high society, a reminder of Eliza Doolittle at the Ascot Gavotte. The other is Duncan's cry of despair and remorse, from the street to the upper floor "Bella"! There is a familiar ring of "Estella" from Stanley Kowalski (best remembered is of course Marlon Brando).
The remainder of the movie - the visual feast, the wickedly funny dialogue, the spot on performance of the cast, the fateful little end-twist, and a lot more - I'll leave you to discover. "Poor things" gathered 11 Oscar nominations, just a little behind the forerunner "Oppenheimer". But as these two cannot be more different in genre, there wouldn't be too many head-on clashes. I expect both to bring home a nice collection of deserved trophies.
In sumptuous color, we see an elegantly attired woman jumping off a bridge, with desolation in her eyes. Then we see in black and while the same woman, somewhat younger-looking, banging on a piano. We soon become quite familiar, at least visually, with the awkward movement and clueless verbal exchange of this unattractive (facial beauty notwithstanding) creature Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), Dr Godwin Baxter's (Willem Dafoe) daughters, most likely adopted. The first appearance of Godwin's face may make some in the audience shudder, but only the every timid ones. And they'll get used to it. These sewn up lines on his face, together with similar atrocities in other parts of his body, are the torturous reminders of how Godwin's monster of a father had been using his own son for experiments. Bella doesn't mind God's face though. "God is lovely, like dog face" she reassures him.
It is quite obvious the mental growth of Bella hasn't quite match her physical growth. God's student Max (Ramy Youssef) tries to help coaching her. Not a lot of progress thought. "Bella nowhere girl" seems to be her only understanding. The full story is soon revealed. God collected the dead body of this woman who jumped off a bridge and replaced her brain with that of an infant's. There was one scene, at the early stage of this experiment, when Emma Stone has to portray what goes through in infant girl's mine when she discovers the joy of masturbation in the body of a grown up woman she possesses. Stone may well win and Oscar just with this scene. Bella, however, is a work-in-progress and the audience observe her "maturing" through the movie.
Enters Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a cad through and through, taking Bella on a grand tour of the real world which includes glamorous European cities and a luxury boat tour. En route, there are friendly characters, one of which gives Bella words of wisdom such as "Hope is smashable; reality is not". Bella also initiates "an interesting experiment to live with nothing", by giving Duncan's money away, to the last penny, to the poor and needy.
Through this interesting experience, I can spot two places referencing classic scenes in movies. One is when Duncan tries to educate Bella to speak in a fashion suitable for high society, a reminder of Eliza Doolittle at the Ascot Gavotte. The other is Duncan's cry of despair and remorse, from the street to the upper floor "Bella"! There is a familiar ring of "Estella" from Stanley Kowalski (best remembered is of course Marlon Brando).
The remainder of the movie - the visual feast, the wickedly funny dialogue, the spot on performance of the cast, the fateful little end-twist, and a lot more - I'll leave you to discover. "Poor things" gathered 11 Oscar nominations, just a little behind the forerunner "Oppenheimer". But as these two cannot be more different in genre, there wouldn't be too many head-on clashes. I expect both to bring home a nice collection of deserved trophies.