The 96th Academy Awards are over. And while Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” won in many of the major categories, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, Best Director and, of course, Best Picture, Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things” did not go home empty-handed.
Three of the movie’s four Oscars — Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling — were in technical categories, but Emma Stone landed her second Best Actress award.
As I sat, nearly brought to tears by Stone’s speech, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about “Poor Things” at large, which was my favorite movie of last year.
Coming into the film, I was definitely interested in Lanthimos as a filmmaker, but I could not consider myself a fan of his, as at the time, I had only seen two of his movies: “The Lobster” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.” But I thoroughly enjoyed both. So, when “Poor Things” was announced, I was excited. And when a trailer came out, I could not wait.
Now, I am a season-ticket holder. His next film, “Kinds of Kindness,” is an anthology with an all-star cast: Stone, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer and Mamoudou Athie. It is at the top of the list of my most anticipated movies.
The film is undated. The movie of the moment, “Poor Things,” follows Stone as Bella Baxter, a woman who has the body of an adult but the brain of a child. Her “father,” Godwin Baxter, is a Frankenstein-esque figure and the epitome of why the film won Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Ramy Youssef, Mark Ruffalo and Christopher Abbot play three of Baxter’s suitors.
On a surface level, the movie is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. Every single shot, every single scene, is immaculate. To me, it is crystal clear why it won Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling; the proof is in the pudding.
The real reason to watch the film, however, is the performances. The entire cast is terrific, but Stone is near-perfect. Her performance as Baxter was — by far — my favorite performance of last year and one of my favorite performances of the decade so far; the only one I think is definitively better is Cate Blanchett’s performance in “TÁR.”
She has to do so, so, so much. Within one role, she is tasked with playing an infant, a child, a teenage girl and an adult woman. At first, her portrayal of Baxter is almost entirely comedic. As her on-screen age — here, mental, rather than physical, age — increases, so does the maturity and earnestness of her performance. Her work is the definition of dynamic.
I have been a fan of Stone’s for a long time, and seeing her make choices as “weird” and “out there” as “Poor Things” is exciting. The movie is not “Superbad”; it definitely is not for everyone. Each and every shot, scene, is dream-like, and it goes for it. If you thought Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” was a lot, wait. Just wait.
At the time of writing, “Poor Things” is streaming on Hulu.
