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Poor Things(2023)
Searchlight Pictures Dec 8, 2023 | Wide
An account of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.
Releases
Original Release | Dec 8, 2023
Box Office
Results
$661,230
$34,553,225
$83,072,230
$117,625,455
Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: Ireland,United Kingdom,United States,Hungary
Language: English,French,Portuguese
Summaries
Plot Summary
- In Victorian London, medical student Max McCandles becomes an assistant to eccentric surgeon Godwin Baxter. He meets and falls in love with Godwin's ward, a childlike young woman named Bella. Godwin reveals that the woman, who was pregnant, died by suicide after leaping off a bridge. He resurrected Bella by replacing at least parts of her brain with that of an infant's, which results in Bella waking and having to relearn a great deal of motor functions as well as social skills. She shows no memory of her past life.With Godwin's permission, Max asks for Bella's hand in marriage. Bella accepts, but as her intelligence rapidly develops, she begins to crave autonomy and runs off with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn to have an explicit affair. Deciding to let her go, Godwin starts a new experiment with a young woman named Felicity, who matures much more slowly than Bella.Bella and Duncan embark on a grand journey, starting in Lisbon, where the two engage in frequent sex, in addition to other forms of hedonism. She becomes difficult for him to control, so he smuggles her onto a cruise ship for a "change of scenery".On the ship, she befriends fellow passengers Martha and Harry, who open her mind to philosophy. Initially attracted to Bella's childlike naivete, Duncan attempts to stunt her growth to no avail. He becomes increasingly exasperated and begins to indulge in drinking and gambling.During a stop at Alexandria, Bella is distraught after witnessing the miserable poverty of the locals and donates Duncan's winnings, which are in turn stolen by the crew. Unable to afford the rest of the trip, the two are kicked off the ship at Marseille, after which they make their way to Paris.Having run out of funds, Bella begins working at a brothel, further enraging Duncan and resulting in his mental breakdown, finally leading her to abandon him. At the brothel, she comes under the tutelage of Madame Swiney and befriends fellow prostitute Toinette, with whom she begins a relationship and who introduces her to socialism.A terminally ill Godwin asks Max to bring Bella to him. Max locates her after tracking down Duncan, who has been institutionalized after his breakdown. Returning to London, Bella reconciles with Godwin and renews her plans to marry Max. The two are interrupted by Duncan and General Alfie Blessington on their wedding day.Alfie, addressing Bella as Victoria, reveals that they were married before her disappearance and that he has come to reclaim her. She abandons Max to learn of her past life but quickly discovers Alfie's violent and sadistic nature, and realizes that she had committed suicide to escape their abusive relationship.Alfie confines Bella to his mansion and threatens her at gunpoint to submit to genital mutilation, demanding she drink a chloroform-laced cocktail to sedate her for the procedure. She tosses the cocktail in his face, causing Alfie to shoot himself in the foot before passing out.Godwin dies peacefully with Bella and Max at his side. Bella decides to carry on Godwin's work with the help of Max and Toinette, while Felicity's intelligence steadily progresses.
Storyline
- From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. — Searchlight Pictures A dead young woman is brought back to life as an experiment by a scientist. He names her Bella and grooms her in the ways of life. She is however impatient to see the world and embarks on a trip in the company of a male friend. Different types of experiences come her way over time. — Madan Marwah Sheltered from negative influence behind the tall stone walls of Dr Godwin Baxter's Victorian garden of grotesque wonders, exotic Bella has no clue about what she's been missing out on life. But ideas are impossible to contain; like a fierce tempest, nothing can stand in the way of freedom and enlightenment. Now, seduced by the electrifying scent of promise and opportunity, the voracious, raven-haired disciple embarks on a grand globe-trotting quest for self-awareness, eager to broaden her horizons. And the question remains. Equipped with childish curiosity and the feral desire to answer the haunting whys that hinder her evolution, can the bizarre anatomist's favourite poor thing survive the world's twisted love on her own? — Nick Riganas In London, Godwin Baxter is a scientist and surgeon of some renown, although some of his students believe him to be a literal monster in the vein of Dr. Frankenstein's. He has as his ward Bella Baxter, an infant literally in a young woman's body. Godwin acknowledges to those in his circle that he doesn't know her history before she came into his life, and to protect her and himself he keeps her confined to his compound. As science is his life, he hires one of his students, Max McCandles, to monitor Bella's developmental progress but Max is unaware of exactly what he is walking into in accepting the position. Upon learning of Bella's true circumstances, at least as Godwin knows, he buys into who he represents in Bella's life with Godwin's blessing and Godwin makes legal arrangements for Bella's future again, to protect both her and himself. As such, egotistical barrister Duncan Wedderburn enters their lives, unaware of Bella's background except what he was asked to draw up for her legally. Falling under Bella's spell, Duncan, with Godwin's knowledge, whisks her away outside of the compound, thus exposing Bella to another developmental process, steered largely by Duncan and the world to which he introduces her. — Huggo
