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Poor Things (film)

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Poor Things
Theatrical release poster
Directed byYorgos Lanthimos
Screenplay byTony McNamara
Based onPoor Things
by Alasdair Gray
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobbie Ryan[1]
Edited byYorgos Mavropsaridis
Music byJerskin Fendrix
Production
companies
Distributed bySearchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • September 2023 (2023-09) (Venice)
  • 8 December 2023 (2023-12-08) (United States)
  • 12 January 2024 (2024-01-12) (United Kingdom)
Countries
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Poor Things is an uupcoming American-British-Irish period surrealist science fantasy adventure film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos from a screenplay by Tony McNamara.[2] It is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef and Jerrod Carmichael. Its plot follows Bella, a young Victorian woman who, after being crudely resurrected by a mad scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an surrealistic odyssey for self-discovery and liberation.

Development on Poor Things had begun when Lanthimos met with the novel's author, Alisdair Gray, in Glasgow to acquire its rights. Lanthimos began more actively developing the film while making The Favourite with Emma Stone, who was cast in the leading role and served as a producer. Additional casting was announced between March through November 2021, and principal photography would commence in August 2021 in Hungary at Origo Studios. Frequent collaborators of Lanthimos who worked on the film include Robbie Ryan as the cinematographer and Yorgos Mavropsaridis as the film's editor.

Poor Things will have its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, and is scheduled to be released by Searchlight Pictures in the United States on 8 December 2023, and in the United Kingdom on 12 January 2024.

Premise

A young woman, Bella, is brought back to life by scientist and her guardian Dr. Godwin Baxter. Initially naïve, Bella is eager to learn about the world around her, albeit under Baxter's protection. Wanting to see more, she runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, and travels across continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella demands equality and liberation.[3]

Cast

Production

Development

Lanthimos read Poor Things years prior to developing the film and met with the author, Alasdair Gray, in Scotland to acquire the rights. "He was a very lovely man," Lanthimos shared, "Unfortunately, he died just a couple of years before we actually made the film, but he was very special and energetic; he was 80-something [when we met], and as soon as I got there, he had seen Dogtooth and said, ‘I had my friend put on the DVD, because I don’t know how to operate these things, but I think you’re very talented, young man.’” Lanthimos shared that Gray took him on a personal tour of Glasgow, where Gray showed Lanthimos several places that he had incorporated into the story.

While filming The Favourite (2018), Lanthimos revisited the project, which he discussed with Emma Stone, who also starred in the film. Lanthimos began developing Poor Things more actively following the success of The Favourite: “After the relative success of The Favourite, where I actually made a slightly more expensive film that was successful, people were more inclined to allow me to do whatever it is that I wanted, so I just went back to Gray’s book and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’ It was a long process, but the book was always on my mind.” While developing the film, Lanthimos and collaborated with each other on the short film Bleat (2022).[4]

Pre-production

Poor Things was officially announced in February 2021.[5] Lanthimos felt that working with Stone again gave him an advantage to the production, as they developed a mutual trust towards one another. Stone also discussed how the process of making Poor Things was different in comparison to The Favourite, due to also acting as a producer: “It was so interesting to be involved in how the film was being pieced together, from cast to department heads to what have you. Ultimately, Yorgos was the one making those decisions, but I was very involved in the process, which started during the pandemic; we were reaching out to people and casting and everything during that time, because we couldn’t go anywhere.”[6]

Casting

Willem Dafoe entered negotiations to join the cast in March 2021.[7] By April, Ramy Youssef was in talks to join.[8] Dafoe and Youssef were confirmed to join in May, with Mark Ruffalo and Jerrod Carmichael also added to the cast in May.[9][10] In September, Christopher Abbott was cast.[11] In November, Margaret Qualley and Suzy Bemba were cast,[12] with Kathryn Hunter revealing she had a role in the film as well.[13]

Describing her characterization of Bella, Stone was attracted to the idea of portraying a woman reborn with a liberated mindset free of societal pressures: "It’s such a fairy tale, and a metaphor—clearly, this can’t actually happen—but the idea that you could start anew as a woman, as this body that’s already formed, and see everything for the first time and try to understand the nature of sexuality, or power, or money or choice, the ability to make choices and live by your own rules and not society’s—I thought that was a really fascinating world to go into." Stone especially appreciated Bella’s lack of shame in regards to her experiences:

Even though Bella has obviously been through trauma in her life, it just isn’t there for her now. She was the most joyous character in the world to play, because she has no shame about anything. She’s new, you know? I’ve never had to build a character before that didn’t have things that had happened to them or had been put on them by society throughout their lives. It was an extremely freeing experience to be her.[14]

Discussing the male characterizations, Lanthimos acknowledged that while each male character was different and had their own individual motivations, they each represented male attitudes typical of the story's Victorian setting. Lanthimos stated: "There are variations, I guess, but in this film, there’s a general tendency to try to control [Bella]—even if it’s done in a caring or subtle way, in the way that a parent might or that [Dafoe’s character] Baxter does, or just being infatuated in the way that Ramy is. You know, being a nice man deep down, but still having the characteristics of a man of that era." Stone also asserted that "the more agency Bella gets, the more she learns and grows, the more it drives these men insane. The more she has an opinion and her own wants and needs and all of that, it makes them crazy; they want her to stay this sort of pure thing."[15]

Filming

Filming began in August 2021 in Hungary,[16] at Origo Studios.[17]

Costume Design

Lanthimos worked closely with costume designer Holly Waddington in order to reflect Bella’s growth and development through her clothes, from the more puffy silhouettes of her childlike era to the almost corseted gown she wears at the film’s climax: "Holly […] and I realized early on that costumes and production design would be a very important part of not only telling this story, but creating a world. […] We looked at materials they used in the ’70s and thought about how they would work in a costume, from latex to plastic to all sorts of things."

Stone further elaborated on Bella’s growth reflected through her costume design, detailing how in the beginning of the story, Bella dressed in more traditional costumes of that era, and, following her transformation, begins to dress herself in more bizarre costumes. Stone said "[…] I loved that element of, how would Bella put clothing together with the way her mind works at this point? At the end, there are these very military-looking dresses that look like nothing you’ve seen Bella wear; things are much more form-fitting and constrained, but that’s because she’s come to a place where she’s grown and decided who she is and what she’s going to do. She’s not assimilating, necessarily, but there’s just more structure there."[18]

Release

Poor Things will have its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[19][20] and is scheduled to be released by Searchlight Pictures in the United States on 8 December 2023.[21] It will be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 12 January 2024.[22] It was previously scheduled to be released on 8 September 2023,[23][3] but was delayed to its December date due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[21]

Reception

Accolades

Year Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
2023 Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Yorgos Lanthimos Pending [24]

References

  1. ^ Pritchard, Tiffany (November 22, 2021). "NEWS Robbie Ryan wins Golden Frog, tributes paid to Halyna Hutchins at Camerimage". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Emma Stone Will Creep You Out in the 'Poor Things' Trailer". W. May 11, 2023. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Pearce, Leonard (April 28, 2023). "First Images from Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, Set for September Release". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  4. ^ Specter, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos on Creating a Woman Free of Shame in Poor Things". Vogue. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  5. ^ White, James (May 22, 2021). "Yorgos Lanthimos And Emma Stone Reportedly Reuniting For Frankenstein-Style Tale Poor Things". Empire Online. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Specter, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos on Creating a Woman Free of Shame in Poor Things". Vogue. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 22, 2021). "Willem Dafoe In Talks To Co-Star In Yorgos Lanthimos Adaptation of 'Poor Things' For Searchlight and Film4". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 22, 2021). "Ramy Youssef In Talks To Join Emma Stone In Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things' For Searchlight & Film4". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Galuppo, Mia (May 22, 2021). "Mark Ruffalo Joins Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos Feature 'Poor Things'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Jackson, Angelique (May 25, 2021). "Jerrod Carmichael Joins Emma Stone in Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 2, 2021). "Christopher Abbott Joins Emma Stone In Yorgos Lanthimos' Adaptation of 'Poor Things' For Searchlight And Film4". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  12. ^ Kay, Jeremy (November 30, 2021). "Rising star Suzy Bemba joins Yorgos Lanthimos's 'Poor Things' (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  13. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (November 11, 2021). "Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of Macbeth' has big stars. But it's Kathryn Hunter who steals the show". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  14. ^ Specter, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos on Creating a Woman Free of Shame in Poor Things". Vogue. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  15. ^ Specter, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos on Creating a Woman Free of Shame in Poor Things". Vogue. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  16. ^ Varga, Denes (October 5, 2021). "Hungarian Film Industry Is Booming in 2021". Film New Europe Association. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "Poor Things will film in Hungary, starring Emma Stone". Budapest Reporter. June 27, 2021. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  18. ^ Specter, Emma (May 31, 2023). "Exclusive: Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos on Creating a Woman Free of Shame in Poor Things". Vogue. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  19. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (July 25, 2023). "Venice Lineup Includes Films by Bradley Cooper, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, David Fincher and More". Variety. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  20. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  21. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (July 25, 2023). "Searchlight's 'Poor Things' Starring Emma Stone Pushes Release Date From September To December". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  22. ^ Searchlight Pictures [@SearchlightUK] (July 28, 2023). "A film by Yorgos Lanthimos. Premiering at this year's Venice Film Festival. In UK and Irish cinemas January 12, 2024" (Tweet). Retrieved August 1, 2023 – via Twitter.
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 28, 2023). "Emma Stone Reteam With Yorgos Lanthimos 'Poor Things' Sets Early Fall Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "Biennale Cinema 2023 | Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. June 26, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
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