Review: POOR THINGS

Godwin Baxter, in a way both Dr Frankenstein and his creature, lives in his London mansion surrounded by a herd of hybrid animals like a goose dog and a dog chicken. Also, present, and learning slightly by the day is Bella, a young woman resurrected to become both herself and her child (not spoiling how). Into this odd arrangement comes the spark of the first act in the form of Duncan Wederburn who spirits Bella away from her cloistered realm and into a kind of Grand Tour of Europe. If you're thinking fairytale keep thinking it but maybe ramp up the R rating to include scenes of a sexual nature, lots of them. Duncan is a kind of prince but he is a prince from magical realism so he has both educative intentions and the libido of a rabbit. But as we see Bella's enlightenment emerge in bursts and starts we can only count the scenes until all of this explodes.

Yorgos Lanthimos' apparent whimsy is a tightly woven tapestry. In a version of the world that stands somewhere between steampunk and Dr Seuss but has real cities like London or Lisbon in it, the master of Greek Weirdcore has pushed his already rich and strange vision into one that recalls Universal horror of the 30s (with fisheye lenses) and the startling colour of the touring scenes. That said, he's not just throwing everything he's already done at the screen. 

This feels as studied and deliberate as The Favourite with its Vermeer pallet and the switch between sex and violence between characters. As we travel with Bella through her self discovery, only peripherally aided by Duncan, Godwin (mostly referred to by her as God) and fellow travellers, we get a strong sense of Voltaire's story Candide in which an innocent is dealt blow after blow of learning experiences except that instead of the constant optimist Pangloss we get the raging narcissistic cynic. But Bella's development, from puerile ego driven by id toward wholeness, is textured and frequently worrisome.

This film lands on the shoulders of Emma Stone. She presents a convincing human monster with her emerging posh accent sounding nurtured rather than cultured and a halting walk that is somewhere between a wind-up toy and Elsa Lanchester's birdlike flitting in Bride of Frankenstein. Under her lengthening mane of void-black hair her bug eyes absorb universes. It's feat of performance, allowing her staggered speech development credibility to the point where the first few complete sentences feel weighted by danger as they are uttered, allowing us to both worry and marvel at her at once.

Mark Ruffalo struggles with his accent but so comically that it might as well be the results of his character's own affectations. His journey is toward entropy, disintegrating steadily and shows a similar commitment to Stone's (but hers blows everyone offscreen). Willem Dafoe, under stitches and prosthetics, yet delivers a decaying sagacity that doesn't quite understand the cruelty he has inflicted with his wonders. He adopts a soft Celtic burr which gives him a paternal presence with a creepy edge. Margaret Qualley's role is a brief one but she demonstrates a flair for silent comedy. Her Sanctuary partner Christopher Abbot has a lot less trouble with his accent than Ruffalo but his must be right for the sadistic Alfie to work. It's a hell of a cast.

Lanthimos is using a commissioned music score for the first time and it makes strong use of motif to suggest Bella's increasing sophistication as well as quirky stabs of instruments electronically detuning. Considering previous outings like the sourced cues in The Favourite, I wonder how heavily he leaned on Jerskin Fendrix.

This is one of those films where the auteur calling the shots has long been comfortable with his sense of adventure he no longer cares if it's boundary pushing or not as long as it works. It does tell a story in linear fashion but it will still sit wrong with a lot of people who might be expecting a quirk-fest or a star vehicle. It is a supercharged fable, continually entertaining but thought provoking and it is a hell of a way to end my cinema year with a bang. Like your flavours on the rich side? Get a ticket to this and don't wait for streaming; sit down in the dark with people you don't know and let it flow in.