[Content warning: Mentions of abuse and suicide]
“I am finding being alive fascinating.”
After Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos thrilled us in horror-thriller “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and period film “The Favourite,” here’s some important news: A new whimsical tale has been added to his filmography.
On May 11, Searchlight Pictures released the trailer of Yorgos’ new film, “Poor Things.” The film follows the fantastical tale of Bella Baxter, a young woman whose life is revived by a genius and eccentric scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.
While Bella tries to find her identity and grasp the way of life, she then embarks on a journey with a debauched lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn, for an intercontinental adventure. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows stronger desire to fight for equality.
In the edgy 30-second trailer, the upcoming film is packed with a hefty cast: 2017 Academy Awards best actress Emma Stone, four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe, Primetime Emmy Award winner Mark Ruffalo, and Golden Globe Award prizewinner Ramy Youssef, who will play Bella Baxter, Dr. Godwin Baxter, Duncan Wedderburn, and Max McCandless, respectively.
The new “Poor Things” film is adapted from the 1992 Victorian novel of the same name by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. In the book, Bella gets reanimated and replaces her brain with her unborn child’s. Prior to this, the young pregnant Bella decided to end her life by drowning herself to get away from the abusive hands of her partner.
Besides the book’s “political allegory” and thought-provoking plot, Bella’s character is also said to be the “feminist version of Frankenstein’s Monster” of the 1818 classic gothic fiction.
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On May 12, Mark Ruffalo penned on Instagram: “Happy to be a part of #PoorThingsFilm by Yorgos Lanthimos and some of my favorite actors and people.”
Co-produced by Emma Stone and written by Tony McNamara, “Poor Things” started filming in 2021 and will be having a global screening on Sept. 8.
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Stills from “Poor Things” trailer