It is the Story of POOR THINGS

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Digital and coming to Bluray from acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and Searchlight Pictures is the story of POOR THINGS.

Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) is a surgeon in London and he takes in Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) as his assistant. Arriving to begin, he meets Bella (Emma Stone), a young woman who clearly is different as Dr. Baxter explains her circumstances and that she has the mind of a child. Max and Bella work together to help her mind grow.

There are still things Bella needs to learn about the world but Dr. Baxter encourages Max to marry Bella. She accepts but, when she meets unscrupulous lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) Bella decides she wants to explore the world and all it has to offer. Dr. Godwin tells Max to let her go while they start with a new experiment named Felicity (Margaret Qualley).

Bella and Duncan start in Lisbon as the couple are exploring each other as well as their surroundings. As Bella becomes more and more aware, she discovers that Duncan is actually just as trapping as her home in London. Duncan decides to smuggle her onto a ship where she meets Marth (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry (Jarrod Carmichael) who her expand her mind and Bella likes it. Duncan, however, is becoming possessive and Bella decides its time for a change.

She takes on the challenges of earning her own money in a way that doesn’t seem to bother because it allows her to explore the city and learn more about being a doctor. She returns to Godwin and Max asks if she has returned permanently. But there are more twists to this story and Bella is ready for whatever comes…are you?

Stone as Bella is extraordinary in the role as we watch a child become a woman in the weirdest set of circumstances. Being told what to do, how to behave, where she can go, what to think and what is possible is dictated by men and Bella isn’t about it. She is polite in listening but always makes her own choices with her own way of being emotional. It is all Stone from frame one to frame end and she deserves all the accolades she is receiving.

Ruffalo as Duncan is a man who has a narcissist attitude that he has won a prize in Bella. He spends his time keeping her uneducated on the world and very close to him. When Bella decides to explore her world, each time Duncan becomes more and more crazed. Watching Ruffalo go from up to the lowest was a bit entertaining for me in a strange way but no stranger than the whole story being told. Ruffalo is good at being a little nutty.

Dafoe as Dr. Baxter is an eccentric surgeon who clearly sees Bella as a daughter. Having a rough life himself and the results are clearly on his face, Dafoe still gives us an oddly touching man who wants only the best for Bella. Youssef as Max comes into Dr. Baxter’s life only to discover Bella and the twists that come with being in the situation. Having feelings for Bella complicate but he is a lot like Dr. Baxter in wanting the best for Bella. Yousseff gives his characters charm, loyalty and the ability to see past the flaws of others. I adore this character so much for that.

Other cast include Christopher Abbott as Alfie, Suzy Bemba as Toinette, Kathryn Hunter as Swiney, Vicki Pepperdine as Mrs. Prim, Keeley Forsyth as Allison, John Locke as David, Kate Handford as Kitty, and Owen Good as Gerald.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

Bonus Features include Featurettes, Possessing Beauty - The Making of Poor Things. Join Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, cast and crew in the making of this fantastical film. Explore the costumes, makeup and prosthetics in detail. Take a tour with Willem Dafoe and see how Godwin and Bella’s home mirrors and accommodates them both, Deleted Things, Brothel Doctor, Alfie’s Chapter, and Bella’s Notebook.

POOR THINGS is the winner of Best Motion Picture and Best Actress/Emma Stone at the Golden Globe Awards. Also, the film is a winner for Best Actress/Emma Stone and Best Costume Design. POOR THINGS is currently nominated for eleven Academy Awards.

This film is stunning in cinematography with color, vibrance and the hints of the Victorian era splashes with fantasy. There isn’t a scene that isn’t full of beauty making it a character unto itself. I was fascinated by it. Adding to the story and bringing us into it with ease and grace is just amazing.

Stone and Ruffalo are the ‘crazy kids’ of the story with the twists that are just so stunning it is impossible to look away. Dafoe is the creator and Max is the man who is not judgmental regarding any of the behaviors around him. The rest of the wonderful cast adds the lovely border around this intensely beautiful story.

In the end – the world is her but they don’t know it yet!