Poor Things Is Meant to Make You Uncomfortable

The movie Poor Things brings up so much debate. While Bella Baxter's aesthetic and humor were brought to life, the premise is very upsetting.

Poor Things is a perverted gender-swapped retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. At least I thought so in the very beginning. Now, the premise of the story follows a pregnant Victoria Blessington committing suicide. An unorthodox scientist by the name of Dr. Godwin Baxter resurrects her by using the unborn infant’s brain in place of Victorica’s.

Imagine being reborn again with a childlike mind that’s developing rapidly. You are learning things about yourself and the world around you. All the good things, bad things, and everything in between.

This is such an unhinged movie that doesn’t hold back. I appreciated Emma Stone's portrayal of Bella Baxter. I don’t think anyone could have done it better. Emma states, “It’s a beautiful thing to get to be a part of something if people respond to it. I don’t know if any of us knew what kind of reactions people would have to this film because it is a wild ride. It’s been wonderful.”

The set and costume design were so beautiful, but it had its fair share of graphic and disturbing scenes.

Stone says, “The production design is an important part of the story. What the production design leads have created is something unlike anything that’s ever existed before.” Emma even jokes about wanting to live in Bella’s bedroom because it has so much originality. I agree with her! There were so many pieces throughout the whole film that had such character. The lead designers had me in awe.

Bella, still an infant, raised some eyebrows because she was learning about the world. She was also learning about herself. Several men in this story knew that but still chose to take advantage of the situation. I swear it had pedophilic undertones. Duncan Wedderburn was one of these men. I noticed they were having such a grand ‘ole time. The two went on adventures, ate great food, and had a lot of fun. But as soon as Bella started growing up, things changed. Even Wedderburn commented about her speech patterns. She didn’t sound childlike anymore. This put it into perspective for me. My jaw dropped. I was thinking, oh my gosh, what a creep!

Even Godwin mentioned how he was sexually aroused by Bella. He claimed nothing ever came of it because his paternal feelings towards her outweighed his desires.

As Bella’s brain developed, she began to have ambitions. She got work as a prostitute to help put herself through school so she could become a doctor. She grew up to be an independent woman without worrying about judgment. Freedom was her priority throughout the story.

Did Bella ever consider what happened to her as she developed into adulthood? This movie had me questioning everything, but I was also able to admire Bella’s humor, sense of style, and candidness. She and the entirety of the cast and production helped create a story that grabbed the audience's attention.