Poor Things reunites the director-screenwriter tandem of Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster) and Tony McNamara (The Favourite) to adapt the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. Enthralling and insightful as it is disturbing, the film stars Emma Stone (Cruella, La La Land), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight, Avengers Endgame), and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, No Way Home) in a story that goes above and beyond the common date movie.

The story

When acerbic surgeon Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) hires Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef, Wish) to serve as his assistant, the timid medical student finds that there’s more to the old man’s experiments than meets the eye. Chief among these is Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman whose childlike behavior belies a mysterious past. When Bella decides to go out and experience the world beyond Godwin’s walls, he begrudgingly allows it on her promise to one day return and marry Max. What follows is a whirlwind voyage of self-discovery unlike anything anyone could have prepared her for, as Bella is exposed to harsh truths about herself and the people around her.

A subversive dark comedy

If Barbie were directed by David Cronenberg (The Fly, Crimes of the Future) by way of Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), it would probably look a lot like Poor Things. Dark and subversive in all the right ways, the film uses fantastical embellishments to portray a young woman’s efforts to go beyond her sheltered existence and take on life on her own terms. The fact that Lanthimos and McNamara chose to do so with copious amounts of sex, body horror, and Mark Ruffalo (as the personification of insecure toxic masculinity) is just par for the course.

The film’s main conceit is also its biggest twist, so finding actors capable of bringing credibility to the fantastic (and absurd) was crucial. Thankfully, the cast knew the assignment.

Meet Bella Baxter

Emma Stone pulls double duty here as lead actor and producer, producing a role completely unlike anything she’s done before; her Golden Globe-winning take on Bella is one that must be seen to be believed, and it’s her total commitment that prevents the narrative from descending into parody.

Beginning the film in full infantilized mode – complete with awkward footsteps and sub-human grunts – Bella is revealed to be a quick study, transitioning from monosyllabic speech to posh syntax in the space of a few months. As Bella learns to express herself physically, emotionally, and – ultimately – intellectually, Stone nails the transformation.

The joy of “furious jumping”

While those with tender sensibilities will undoubtedly be offended by the amount of full-frontal nudity and sexual activity that accompanies Bella’s journey, the film never actually crosses the line into prurient territory. Nor does it avail of the blatant “sexposition” storytelling that Game of Thrones made infamous – the use of Bella’s “furious jumping” reflects her development as a person – as Bella learns her worth as a person, the (primarily male) characters she meets along the way are shocked at the very notion of someone like Bella (i.e. female) making her own decisions.

The world according to Bella

The symbolism of Bella’s awakening being kicked off by an apple isn’t lost on the viewer – what somewhat started out as an example of the “innocent fanservice character” trope is effectively flipped over to drive home Bella’s journey towards true independence and empowerment. The volatile nature of the plot is reflected in the film’s presentation, with Lanthimos’ visual storytelling switching from over-the-top to intimately uncomfortable (and back) as frequently as the film requires.

The good, the mad…

Aside from Stone, the supporting cast is in fine form, with Dafoe providing surprising pathos for an amoral scientist whose looks would put many a Batman villain to shame. Lanthimos’ deliberate lack of subtlety is on full display, with characters unironically addressing the good doctor as “God”, while the audience is expected to just accept all the bizarre hybrid creatures roaming his property. Having been raised by a cold man of science himself, “God’s” grotesque exterior belies the paternal affection he harbors for Bella.

…And the ugly

As mentioned, the villain of the piece is Mark Ruffalo as Atty. Duncan Wedderburn, self-servingly indulges Bella’s thirst for the pleasures of the flesh, shedding any pretensions to mutual respect or civility as their relationship progresses. Weak and insecure, Wedderburn’s disdain for Bella’s self-actualization manifests as she willfully transforms into everything he isn’t, and Ruffalo sells every second of it. Indeed, in a movie with graphic depictions of sex, surgery, and Willem Dafoe, the fact that Wedderburn is the most disturbing thing onscreen is unceasingly impressive. (In another universe, he’d live in a Mojo Dojo Casa House.)

The bottom line

Poor Things is a masterwork with a wondrously wicked sense of humor, and more than a touch of the macabre whimsy that Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns) used to excel at. Playing out like the twisted fever dream of an R-rated Barbie, the filmmakers clearly had a ball taking audience preconceptions and turning them on their heads to deliver a massively satisfying piece of social commentary.