Poor Things

Poor Things is a 2023 black comedy fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, and Jerrod Carmichael. Based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, it focuses on a young Victorian woman who, after being crudely resurrected by a scientist following her suicide, runs off with a debauched lawyer to embark on an odyssey of self-discovery and sexual liberation. Produced by Film4 Productions, Element Pictures, TSG Entertainment, and Searchlight Pictures, development on the film began as early as 2009, when Lanthimos visited Gray in Scotland to acquire the rights to the novel. Following a period in development hell, the director revisited Poor Things while filming The Favourite (2018), which starred Stone, and approached her with the lead role. The remaining cast joined the project in 2021, with principal photography occurring in Hungary from August to December of that year. Poor Things premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, where it won the Golden Lion. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released by Searchlight Pictures in the United States on December 8, 2023, and in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2024. Premise A young woman, Bella, is brought back to life by her guardian, the scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Initially naïve, Bella is eager to learn about the world around her, albeit under Baxter's protection. Wanting to see more, she runs off with Duncan Wedderburn, a slick and debauched lawyer, and travels across continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella demands equality and liberation.