Poor Things (2024 in Spain)

Plot of Poor Things: In a sort of steam punk late Victorian London, a talented surgeon, Godwin Baxter, sees a woman jump off a bridge and drown. Rescuing the body he finds she is pregnant, so transplants the baby brain into to the adult woman which results in a young woman with a whole new view of the world. Godwin hires a medical student, Max McCandles to monitor his ward’s progress. She, Bella, makes rapid advances into the world soon discovering masturbation. She is soon involved with the dissolute Duncan Wedderburn who spirits her away on a voyage of discovery, in all ways ending up on a cruise ship where Bella takes all his money off him, and gives it to the poor, so she thinks. As a result they end up on the stones in Paris and Bella becomes a prostitute, giving Duncan the means of returning to England. She remains in the brothel and in time is contacted my Max with news that Godwin is dying, and also that he, Max, wishes to marry her. She returns to London and comforts Godwin as he dies but before she and Max can marry she is claimed by her former husband a general. What has the general in store for her?

Content: Perhaps we should start with the environment. Godwin has been experimented on by his father so he is disfigured, and his house is populated by strange hybrid animals, like the island of Dr Moreau. Out in the street as well as horse drawn cabs there is at least one powered by a steam engine. Godwin dissects bodies while tutoring an audience of students. Bella quickly becomes familiar with her own body and progresses to having sex with Duncan Wedderburn – a lot. So there is throughout the film much female nudity and sexual activity of various sorts. In the brothel it is sometimes grotesque. There is also some gore during surgery and some drinking and drunkenness. The whole environment is literally fantastic.

A View: This film has made it into the IMDb top 200, is nominated in various Oscar categories, and it has generally been well liked. There is social comment but really it tends to be lost in the rest of the activity. Apparently there are a number of narrative threads in the book, and there are hints that there is a lot more to Godwin’s story than we see. There is a lot of humour in the sex, enthusiastically portrayed with no possible shame, but actually is there more, and does it matter? I really liked the style of the film, even the ship which is completely loony. But I think we need to be hit over the head with the social comment. It is ground-breaking, so essential viewing for film buffs and Oscar followers.

Fun Fact: The actors spent three weeks engaging in improv so that they got used to working together.