Just watched it and... frankly bizarre hut wonderful. It reminded me of Amelie in a lot of ways, such as the cinematography and set design. The message actually really hit with me - it's less about her, it's about the men she meets, and men continue to be treated like property. The women in this film are not flawless, but trying to exist in a men's world in any way they can.
Love the video... 00:00 start 00:16 Best films of 2023. 00:43 "Poor Things" overview. 01:38 Quirky, adult fairy tale. 02:50 Exponential mental growth. 03:44 Praise for performances. 05:17 Critique: simplistic portrayal. 06:38 Comparison to other films. 07:34 Emptiness and detachment. 08:41 Appreciation for bravery. 09:35 Filmmaker's outro. Thought I'd add this for your chapters... Love your analysis. Really excellent and wonderfully insightful. Are you a filmmaker?
bella baxter is the character's name. bella ramsey is a real person from real life (the nonbinary actor who stars in 'the last of us'). i'm autistic and identify with bella in poor things. there's something about navigating social situations and struggling to understand nuances in sex and love that are supposed to be understood--that really mirrored my own experience. also the experience of stimming, of moving differently, of struggling to understand why wealth can't be distributed in a more plain way if people say they are good people. navigating a female-assigned body and learning the rules of it is also something interesting. i think also just on a plain surgical sci-fi level, this film works for me and i loved just watching evolution from baby-brain-in-human-body to the integration of that. there was an escapist element of it to me, too, the ramy yousef character being so non-judgemental of bella's time as a sex worker, the idea that a man might see that in the objective "i had to do what i had to do" light that bella experienced. i think, also, the story of this human body having had a baby and then the baby brain replaces the mother brain, i think for me that really hit. the female lover she had in the brothel, their connection, women teaching one another about the scars on their bodies, the parts of their bodies. it reminded me a lot of how female bodied people often need to teach one another about the nuances of their bodies. it felt like an escapist fantasy for me, that you could end up hanging out with all your favorite people in the end, the people who appreciate you for your boldness and don't find you "disruptive" to their world. i think the escapism element really drew me and it wasn't about "learning something new" about The Female Experience, it was a mirror to the sometimes difficult nature of navigating the use and perception of our bodies in the world. it was super empowering to see someone so bold. and as someone with a developmental disability, it was so easy for me to see myself in her. i love stories where the main character is the outsider struggling to navigate the workings of the world. and i think the fairy tale nature of it necessitates a simplicity in its lessons. i think the film reminded me that it's a lovely thing to have wonder about the world, validated a seeking of pleasure as a female-bodied person, and i don't think all the male characters were caricature evil. i think willem dafoe and ramy yousef, two of the three main dudes, were people who were flawed and strange and learning to love and whose love was very real.
I agree so much with you, and, although not autistic (i think), I relate in a deep level with how Bella acts, moves, talks and all she does out of sheer spontaneity, not having a care in the world. I find so encouraging to see that being "strange", different, is actually charming and is one of the reasons people are stunned by her, including her fiancée.
I see what you mean but Bella isn't perfect. She goes from wanting to punch a baby to traumatically induced crying while seeing starving babies. You could also argue that while Mark Ruffalo's character deserved his downfall, Bella surely was the one to bring him down, and down pretty bad. Obviously not defending the guy, he was a douche, but doing wrong by someone bad doesn't inherently translate to good. Thing is, when Bella gave the money to the sailors, they both were found in an unfortunate situation, the difference is that instead of mourning herself and wanting the audience to feel bad about her, she rams through life and sometimes has to do things that aren't what she wants only in order to survive, live, and become someone she wants to be. It's grabbing life by the balls. That's my opinion anyway. I liked your review! Take care.
There is what is right, then there is what is right for that time. Right now I think over tipped scales videos in favor of women and people of color are needed to counteract the hate int he world. So I get what you are saying but people also go to the movies to learn but enough that it tips the balance back to a healthy place. If all movies were about what was right, I don't think the general public can quite frankly handle the raw truth which is that these not-right behaviors and thoughts come from us all and that one group just had the upper hand. If roles were reversed the endings would have just done that. Over more phases of realization in the general public then I think more nuanced and realistic movies can be more digestible. For example the movie Barbie could have so easily jumped into the realm of not gender being the issue but the issue being of separating characteristic and roles between the two genders. Both men and women can be strong or sensitive. Both genders have the ability to oppress. The movie Barbie could have so easily jumped into the idea that we are in our lives nonbinary when it comes to gender roles. So again I think some movies are best adept to helping tip the balance not exactly what is totally right.
Just watched it and... frankly bizarre hut wonderful. It reminded me of Amelie in a lot of ways, such as the cinematography and set design. The message actually really hit with me - it's less about her, it's about the men she meets, and men continue to be treated like property. The women in this film are not flawless, but trying to exist in a men's world in any way they can.
Love the video...
00:00 start
00:16 Best films of 2023.
00:43 "Poor Things" overview.
01:38 Quirky, adult fairy tale.
02:50 Exponential mental growth.
03:44 Praise for performances.
05:17 Critique: simplistic portrayal.
06:38 Comparison to other films.
07:34 Emptiness and detachment.
08:41 Appreciation for bravery.
09:35 Filmmaker's outro.
Thought I'd add this for your chapters... Love your analysis. Really excellent and wonderfully insightful. Are you a filmmaker?
Really enjoyed your review.
bella baxter is the character's name. bella ramsey is a real person from real life (the nonbinary actor who stars in 'the last of us'). i'm autistic and identify with bella in poor things. there's something about navigating social situations and struggling to understand nuances in sex and love that are supposed to be understood--that really mirrored my own experience. also the experience of stimming, of moving differently, of struggling to understand why wealth can't be distributed in a more plain way if people say they are good people. navigating a female-assigned body and learning the rules of it is also something interesting. i think also just on a plain surgical sci-fi level, this film works for me and i loved just watching evolution from baby-brain-in-human-body to the integration of that. there was an escapist element of it to me, too, the ramy yousef character being so non-judgemental of bella's time as a sex worker, the idea that a man might see that in the objective "i had to do what i had to do" light that bella experienced. i think, also, the story of this human body having had a baby and then the baby brain replaces the mother brain, i think for me that really hit. the female lover she had in the brothel, their connection, women teaching one another about the scars on their bodies, the parts of their bodies. it reminded me a lot of how female bodied people often need to teach one another about the nuances of their bodies. it felt like an escapist fantasy for me, that you could end up hanging out with all your favorite people in the end, the people who appreciate you for your boldness and don't find you "disruptive" to their world. i think the escapism element really drew me and it wasn't about "learning something new" about The Female Experience, it was a mirror to the sometimes difficult nature of navigating the use and perception of our bodies in the world. it was super empowering to see someone so bold. and as someone with a developmental disability, it was so easy for me to see myself in her. i love stories where the main character is the outsider struggling to navigate the workings of the world. and i think the fairy tale nature of it necessitates a simplicity in its lessons. i think the film reminded me that it's a lovely thing to have wonder about the world, validated a seeking of pleasure as a female-bodied person, and i don't think all the male characters were caricature evil. i think willem dafoe and ramy yousef, two of the three main dudes, were people who were flawed and strange and learning to love and whose love was very real.
I agree so much with you, and, although not autistic (i think), I relate in a deep level with how Bella acts, moves, talks and all she does out of sheer spontaneity, not having a care in the world. I find so encouraging to see that being "strange", different, is actually charming and is one of the reasons people are stunned by her, including her fiancée.
Nice video but I only have left chanel sound, right one is silent and is strange to listen to it using headphones :)
I have never enjoyed any of yargos lanthimos' movies. You are not alone in your confusion.
Great review and insights👍
Got a like and thumbs up for the name alone.
Bella Baxter not Bella Ramsey!!! Come on bro🤦🏿♀️
Great review… (fix the right channel on your VO recording… just record in mono with your interface or it will default to the left)
Thanks for the heads up - working on it 🙏🏿
I see what you mean but Bella isn't perfect. She goes from wanting to punch a baby to traumatically induced crying while seeing starving babies. You could also argue that while Mark Ruffalo's character deserved his downfall, Bella surely was the one to bring him down, and down pretty bad. Obviously not defending the guy, he was a douche, but doing wrong by someone bad doesn't inherently translate to good. Thing is, when Bella gave the money to the sailors, they both were found in an unfortunate situation, the difference is that instead of mourning herself and wanting the audience to feel bad about her, she rams through life and sometimes has to do things that aren't what she wants only in order to survive, live, and become someone she wants to be. It's grabbing life by the balls.
That's my opinion anyway. I liked your review! Take care.
There is what is right, then there is what is right for that time. Right now I think over tipped scales videos in favor of women and people of color are needed to counteract the hate int he world. So I get what you are saying but people also go to the movies to learn but enough that it tips the balance back to a healthy place. If all movies were about what was right, I don't think the general public can quite frankly handle the raw truth which is that these not-right behaviors and thoughts come from us all and that one group just had the upper hand. If roles were reversed the endings would have just done that. Over more phases of realization in the general public then I think more nuanced and realistic movies can be more digestible. For example the movie Barbie could have so easily jumped into the realm of not gender being the issue but the issue being of separating characteristic and roles between the two genders. Both men and women can be strong or sensitive. Both genders have the ability to oppress. The movie Barbie could have so easily jumped into the idea that we are in our lives nonbinary when it comes to gender roles. So again I think some movies are best adept to helping tip the balance not exactly what is totally right.
Bella Baxter NOT Ramsay !