Programme Notes: Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things is an adaptation of the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, itself a postmodern revision of Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein (1818) and a satire of the classic Victorian novel. Lanthimos’ richly cinematic worldbuilding brings the novel’s core themes to life, exploring social and structural constraints on women, the impacts of colonialism and wealth disparity, and the value of experiencing all that life has to offer, good and bad.

Alasdair Gray was a writer and visual artist born in Glasgow, where he lived for most of his life. A leading figure in Postmodern and Scottish literature, he wrote nine novels and many plays, short stories, poems, political texts, and histories of English and Scottish literature. He was a proud Scotsman, a socialist, and a civic nationalist, famous for his epigram, ‘work as if you live in the early days of a better nation’. Everyday Glaswegians were the heroes of much of his work, and almost all his fictional writing was set in Glasgow or Scotland. Lanthimos’ film adaptation, however, is not.

Understandably, some fans are disappointed by the change. Poor Things has become a romantic symbol of the city, thanks to its fantastical descriptions of local landmarks. It provides a meaningful poetry of place, as if to fill a void described by Gray in his first novel, Lanark (1981):

‘“Glasgow is a magnificent city,” said McAlpin. “Why do we hardly ever notice that?”
“Because nobody imagines living here…if a city hasn’t been used by an artist not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively.”’[1]

Yet, we have not only lost out on a romantic portrayal of the city. We have also missed a chance to represent Scotland’s colonial history — a darker part of our past that is seldom acknowledged.

However, we should be used to granting creative license to filmmakers. Lanthimos has explained that 'the Scottish issue feels like a different part of the book… I felt it would just be like trying to make two different films'[2]. It is true that the development of relationships between McCandless (Ramy Youssef), Baxter (Willem Dafoe), and Bella (Emma Stone) have been condensed to focus on Bella’s voyage and intellectual awakening. Disappointment fades quickly once we are submerged in Lanthimos’ vision of Gray’s vivid imagery, and Gray’s culture is inseparable from his work. Scotland can be felt in Baxter’s cavernous townhouse and the surrounding skyline, speckled with spires. Even more so, it can be felt in Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of Baxter, which took some inspiration from videos of Alasdair Gray.[3]

Visually, the film is maximalist: Gray’s vivid gothic horror realised with modern technology. Working in a studio for the first time, Lanthimos tasked production designers with creating tactile, ‘unreal’ settings, to create a world that would 'reflect… Bella’s individuality and uniqueness'.[4] A cart is led by a prop stick-horse and skylines are painted still. Fish-eye lenses, mixed depths-of-field, and unconventional rhythms of motion enhance this otherworldly atmosphere. Lanthimos’ long-time collaborator, Sound Designer Johnnie Burn, matched this tone of artificiality by using real-world sounds from subtly mismatched sources, such as the heartbeat that represents the sound of the ship.[5]

Lanthimos is clearly devoted to Gray’s concepts. He explores one question above all: how would the world respond to a woman who does not yield to social constructs? Male characters are charmed by Bella’s thirst for life, instinctive desires, ‘refreshing independence’, and naivete, which is often mistaken for impressionability. The film derives a lot of humour from their surprise as they face the realities of life with a woman who cannot be controlled with shame. Meanwhile, Emma Stone portrays Bella’s curiosity, frustrations, and logical self-determination with a brilliant physical performance.

Screenwriter Tony McNamara and Lanthimos made an early decision to tell the story from Bella’s point of view, augmenting Gray’s vivid character descriptions by portraying them as seen through Bella’s eyes. An explosion of colour mirrors Bella’s temperament as she explores the world. Duncan Wedderburn’s (Mark Ruffalo) costumes were designed to reflect the pomp of cartoons of 19th Century, ruling-class British men — with a corset and thong as a bonus. Bella’s body is celebrated without corsets, with 'pubic hair peeking out of low-cut frilled pants'[6]. Her costumes reflect her rapid maturing and empowerment. Her wardrobe consists entirely of period pieces worn in unusual ways, assembled by her and 'always on her terms'.[7] The script also boosted Bella’s social interaction with other women, substituting Dr. Hooker with Martha von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) and emphasising the role of Toinette (Suzy Bemba) as a stimulus for Bella’s intellectual growth.

Lanthimos has gravitated towards exploring patriarchal constraints in the past. His third feature, Dogtooth (2009), centres around a father and mother who keep their children locked indoors, ignorant to the world outside. It leans into discomfort, using sexual taboos, abuse, and theriocide to explore nuances of manipulation and patriarchal control. While Poor Things’ Godwin Baxter is a loving figure, there are parallels in his creation and control of a sealed environment for Bella and his wish that she and McCandless should live in his home forever. He is, after all, a reimagination of the Dr Frankenstein character, originally inspired by Mary Shelley’s controlling father.

Dogtooth is considered a defining film of the Greek Weird Wave, a classification of films marked by the Greek financial crisis of 2007-8. Like other films of the genre, it seeks out the awkward, depressing, and ridiculous aspects of being human. Its cinematography is beautiful, but strict in its movement, cool in tone, and detached, as if observing another species. Yet, there are parallels to Poor Things in its surrealism and absurdist, deadpan humour. Audiences may notice similarity in the editing by Yorgos Mavropsaridis, who has worked on all of Lanthimos’ films.

Rather than a seismic shift in style, it is fairer to see Poor Things as the latest in a slow evolution across many films, most like The Favourite (2018) which shares the same Director of Photography, Robbie Ryan. Poor Things represents a powerful, appropriate use of studio tools to create a mesmerising new work of science fiction, dusted with the director’s signatures: high-contrast angles, laugh-out-loud black humour, and a dance sequence. With increasing budgets and experience, Lanthimos has given his team a great deal of freedom, acting as the conductor to a major feat of collaborative creativity.

While Poor Things continues to screen in cinemas, Lanthimos’ next film is already in post-production: Kinds of Kindness marks another collaboration with Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley.

[1] Gray, Alasdair, Lanark: A Life in Four Books (Canongate Classics, 31 May 2007) 

[2] Lanthimos, Yorgos, quoted by Robertson, Adam, “Poor Things director addresses debate around Glasgow's removal from film”, The National, 15 January, 2024 (accessed via INKL,16 January, 2024) https://www.inkl.com/news/poor-things-director-addresses-debate-around-glasgow-s-removal-from-film 

[3] Dafoe, Willem, quoted by Pond, Steve, “Willem Dafoe Is Adamant About His ‘Poor Things’ Character: Don’t Call Him a Mad Scientist!” The Wrap, 12 December 2023, (accessed 15 January 2024) https://www.thewrap.com/poor-things-doctor-baxter-willem-dafoe-interview/

[4] Lanthimos, Yorgos, interviewed in “Poor Things' Director & Actor/Producer Yorgos Lanthimos & Emma Stone”, IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast 14 December 2023, (accessed 15 January 2024). https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/poor-things-director-actor-produceryorgos-lanthimos/id1142632832?i=1000638573093 

[5] As previous 

[6] Waddington, Holly interviewed by Gladstone, Violet in, ‘”She Doesn’t Follow Rules”: The Story Behind Emma Stone’s Poor Things Looks”, AnOther Magazine, 15 January, 2024 (accessed 15 January 2024). https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/15353/poorthings-costume-design-interview-holly-waddington-emma-stone

 

[7] As previous