Emma Stone's Liberation, Poor Things (2023) | Review

Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman is the product of an experiment. Giving her the brain of an infant and nurturing her to become an independent woman. She later runs off with a love-crazed lawyer as the two embark on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Bella, finally free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Expanding her knowledge and learning to love herself.

Poor Things (2023) is a bizarre depiction of liberation, a strange storytelling of womenhood and empowerment. Even though his film was often a little heavy handed with its imagery and messages, I still found it incredibly interesting and beyond original. This gallant plot sees Stone in her most freeing role to date, exploring her characters new life with a brash approach to sexuality and pleasure.

Emma Stone is transcendent in the role of Bella Baxter, the modern amalgamation of Frankenstein and Edward Scissorhands. A Gentle monster with the brain of an infant, the subject matter could be interpreted as disturbing but I found it to depict the female experience with a fresh set of eyes. Showcasing the many hoops women have to jump through in order to be taken seriously. Bella advances her knowledge and harnesses her passions, she is the embodiment of female repression but quickly moulds into an enlightening form of female liberation.

Poor Things (2023) is an explicit story of the human experience, specifically the journey of the female form. The story is unorthodox and unconventional, it is rare to see a woman with the mind of an infant performing 'adult' acts but in saying that, this story is executed with a surrealist eye. This film is truly dystopian, not only through its subject but through its fantastical landscapes, scenery and costume design. All elements of this film appear to be art come to life, the colours are bold and the performances are erratic but together it forms a compelling story.