Poor Things

**Poor Things: A Steampunk Symphony of Rebirth and Discovery** From the moment Emma Stone appears on screen in Yorgos Lanthimos's "_Poor Things_", it's clear we're in for something extraordinary. Who knew Stone had such incredible comedic timing? Her portrayal of Bella Baxter is a revelation—a performance that transforms from infantile curiosity to nuanced self-discovery with remarkable precision. Bella's character arc is nothing short of miraculous. Stone navigates Bella's developmental stages with such delicate complexity that you're simultaneously amused, uncomfortable, and deeply moved. From her initial childlike movements to her eventual sexual and intellectual awakening, she crafts a character who is both alien and profoundly human. This is, without question, my favorite Yorgos Lanthimos film. His signature absurdist approach finds perfect harmony with this narrative, creating a world that's simultaneously grotesque and enchanting. The steampunk aesthetic is a delightful throwback to Jules Verne, with the Eiffel Tower establishing a precise historical context. The occasional use of 16mm lens work beautifully enhances this sensation, sometimes feeling like we're peering through a vintage camera obscura—creating an almost dreamlike quality that mirrors Bella's own perception. The film's literary DNA is unmistakably Frankensteinian. The biographical parallels with Mary Shelley are both fascinating and intentional. Shelley, herself motherless after her mother's death in childbirth, seems to have inspired multiple layers of Bella's narrative. The fact that Shelley's half-sister, like Bella's mother, died by suicide adds another haunting dimension to the story. The relationship between Bella and her creator, Dr. Godwin Baxter (brilliantly played by Willem Dafoe), is particularly poignant. Her calling him "God" is a multilayered reference—not just to Shelley's own father William Godwin, but a sly commentary on the act of creation itself. That heart-wrenching moment when the dying Godwin notes that Bella only ever looked at him with pure love is reminiscent of the monster and child scene in Boris Karloff's iconic 1931 Frankenstein—a tender echo of monstrosity and affection. Lanthimos has crafted something truly unique: a feminist bildungsroman wrapped in science fiction, comedy, and philosophical inquiry. "Poor Things" isn't just a film; it's an experience that challenges our understanding of autonomy, identity, and what it means to truly come into one's self.