Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
The year 2023 has been one of the most challenging and divisive ones for women. From the #MeToo movement to the #TimesUp campaign, from the #BlackLivesMatter protests to the #StopAsianHate rallies, from the #IWillVote initiative to the #ImpeachTrump movement, women have faced unprecedented challenges and opportunities to speak up, fight back, and make change.
But in this sea of turmoil and triumph, there is one movie that stands out as a refreshing and empowering celebration of women’s freedom: “Poor Things”. The movie, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and is now rolling out worldwide, is a dark comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind “The Favourite” and “The Lobster”) and starring Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a mad scientist’s creation who lives entirely outside the confines of patriarchal morals.
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is not your typical heroine. She was found dead in the river Thames with her brain transplanted into an adult body. She wakes up with no memory of her past life or identity. She only knows that she has an extraordinary intellect and curiosity. She escapes from her creator’s laboratory in London and embarks on a wild adventure across Europe with Mark Ruffalo as Duncan Wedderburn, a slick yet dopey lawyer who falls for her charms.
Along the way, she encounters various men who try to exploit or seduce her: Willem Dafoe as Dr. Godwin Baxter, her creator; John Cusack as Lord Henry Wimsey, an aristocratic sleuth; Antonio Banderas as Don Rodrigo de la Vega, a flamboyant pirate; Hugh Grant as Sir Charles Montague-Henry, a pompous politician; Daniel Craig as James Bond (yes, you read that right), who mistakes her for his next mission; Tom Hiddleston as Loki (yes again), who wants to steal her brain; Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange (yes once more), who wants to study her powers; Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool (yes yet again), who wants to kill her for fun; Dwayne Johnson as The Rock (yes finally), who wants to marry her for love.
Bella does not care about any of these men or their motives. She only cares about having fun and exploring new experiences. She enjoys sex without shame or guilt. She drinks without moderation or regret. She laughs without fear or inhibition. She lives without rules or restrictions.
She also does not care about what society thinks of her or how it treats her. She defies expectations and stereotypes at every turn. She challenges authority figures and institutions with wit and sarcasm. She exposes hypocrisy and corruption with humor and irony.
She is not afraid to be herself or express herself in any way she chooses. She does not need anyone’s approval or validation to be happy or fulfilled. She does not let anyone tell her what she can or cannot do or be.
She is free.
And so are we.
“Poor Things” is not just a movie about one woman’s life at home & abroad over 70 years – it’s also a movie about our own lives at home & abroad over 70 years – but it needs to balance its personal & political stories better1.
It needs to show us how we can be like Bella: free from shame & guilt; free from fear & inhibition; free from rules & restrictions; free from expectations & stereotypes; free from hypocrisy & corruption.
It needs to show us how we can have fun & explore new experiences; how we can enjoy sex without shame or guilt; how we can drink without moderation or regret; how we can laugh without fear or inhibition; how we can live without rules or restrictions.
It needs to show us how we can defy authority figures & institutions with wit & sarcasm; how we can expose hypocrisy & corruption with humor & irony.
It needs to show us how we can be ourselves & express ourselves in any way we choose; how we don’t need anyone’s approval or validation to be happy or fulfilled; how we don’t let anyone tell us what we can or cannot do or be.
