Poor Things is an “indie style” film with a big budget. So it is far from the typical commercial films that we are used to.
I must say that I didn’t have much idea what the movie was about, and then I did a little research on what they were talking about it:
- Apology for feminism.
- Creative.
- A visual torture.
- A look at original feminism.
Also say that it comes from a book, which I have not read. So I can’t make a comparison of the adaptation, but I can give an opinion on the film.
The director’s job.
I don’t know in depth the work of director Giórgios Lánthimos, so the first thing I did was do a little research on his career and other films he has made.
I must say that the dynamic continues, but I think it is not as strong as, for example, ” The Lobster .” A film that I saw without knowing it was by this director, and it was curious… and interesting.
The good thing about this director, when making an “indie” style film, we see a fairly elaborate care in the composition work and other works of the director… however for my taste the characters always struggle with a “boring” style, especially when compared with current movies.
Working with color, I must say, is not something that I like when it comes to working with it… but hey, that is up to the consumer.
The characters of Poor Things.
We meet some charismatic and curious characters. However, they do not seem as charismatic to me as we can find in films like ” Hotel Budapest ” or others that I could recommend.
However, the depth of the characters is really very scratched without a deep value on that type of characteristics of their philosophy, lifestyle among others, so the time dedicated to each of them and the relationship with the protagonist… remains very “empty.”
The stages.
Clearly the scenarios are very well crafted, being very well crafted models. The art work is impeccable, although on many occasions the world is closed in a very “short” way, imitating a lot of a play, as a spectator.
It gives very good value to the work, but sometimes, it is somewhat strange to have scenes similar to that of a theater… and in others that perfectly imitate a real setting.
The story of “Poor Things.”
On this topic, I would like to say that the film does not deal with feminism at any point. In fact, I see more narcissistic characters in whom they are only interested in their own interest, in this case it could be beauty, science or money.
So the story is about the relationship of a creature who wants to learn things about the world. From this, we would have a very interesting value if we delved into the philosophies they express. This evolution of the character is certainly about his emotions, but not at all coherent with what he “desires” with what he does.
So you have a story, quite empty in which the main character only has the interest of his own personal satisfaction, focusing especially on sexual satisfaction… being almost the only interest of the young woman. Then that changes, but she continues with an extreme narcissism worthy of a sociopath.
My opinion of Poor Things.
Here we can have two very different visions in reference to the film:
- If you are going to see a movie to pass the time. Possibly you are going to lose many nuances, it will be just another film that will leave you with a taste of comedy, but you will not understand more than the basics of the film’s work. I think you will enjoy others much more.
- If you like to delve deeper into the art of cinema. If, on the other hand, you are one of those who analyze the conversations, the evolution of the character, the narrative or the charismatic characters… it is surely a film that will fall short for you. It is very well worked on an art level, it is well focused, but the evolution of the character and the relationship with the rest of the characters is not up to par. It won’t be the best movie you’ll see, but it can be entertaining, but don’t expect anything great.
As I have already mentioned, I have not read the book and perhaps it is so long that it cannot be applied to a 140-minute film, that is clear. However, after reading the comments, focusing on it as “feminism” is rubbish that makes no sense.
In short, it is a film of narcissists in which they interact in good faith with the protagonist so that she can “evolve” without taking into account any facts of the characters around her. A fairly weak film for what it wants to be, but interesting for the art work… but not for the characters or the story itself.