Poor Things (2023 Yorgos Lanthimos)

This morning I saw a dog with the head of a duck, a chicken with a bulldog's head and a totally naked Emma Stone. Had I had magic mushrooms for breakfast? No, I was just watching the latest Yorgos Lanthimos film. And I have to say, perhaps his most enjoyable, as the child-woman goes on a metaphorical and literal voyage of (self) discovery. I've mentioned Kubrick in connection with Lanthimos before and I wondered if there is some sort of Barry Lyndon undertow to this bizarre and eye-catching tale, which is frequently very funny, but also deep in its exploration of what it is to be a woman. At least I think that's what the Greek and Tony McNamara and Alasdair Gray are going for. 

The references to the 1931 Frankenstein are quite noticeable. And in fact, The Bride of Frankenstein even more so, if you think of the reaction of Elsa Lanchester to her 'mate'.

Also on the journey: Willem Dafoe (who amusingly doesn't understand the horror his own father put him through), Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef (loved the moment she meets him and punches him in the nose), Hanna Schygulla, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter and Suzy Bemba.

Stunningly shot (on celluloid) through the usual assembly of wide and fish eye lenses by Robbie Ryan in 1.66:1. Production design won Oscar: James Price, Shona Heath, Zsuzsa Mihalek; as did the costume design and the absolutely remarkable music: Jerskin Fendrix. And, of course, so did Miss Stone with her absolutely incredible performance. Edited by Yorgos Mavropsaridis.

The ending is fabulous.

From letterboxd: 'As for specific films that served as tonal guides, both Lanthimos and Stone name Fellini’s And the Ship Sails On (which Greta Gerwig also included in her Official Barbie Watchlist), with the Poor Things leading lady adding a couple more: Belle de Jour, Faces and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. “Those four were more in the world of Poor Things,” Stone elaborates. “We actually watched quite a bit of [Luis] Buñuel, who’s my absolute all-time favorite. And Miloš Forman’s The Firemen’s Ball, because the dance sequence reminded us of it. That film has to be in my top ten now. I think it’s so brilliant.”