Yorgos Lanthimos is back at it again. The Oscar nominee returned with his most ambitious film to date – Poor Things. Starring Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, the newest film from the acclaimed director garnered praise from critics by being called “brilliant and wildly inventive” amongst other top compliments.
The film follows Baxter, who is brought back to life by a genius and unorthodox scientist named Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under his protection, Bella is eager to understand the world that she’s introduced to. 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.
Despite the tremendous reception to Poor Things, which included eleven Oscar nominations, the film never got off at the box office as it only made about $15 million worldwide. Considering that Emma Stone is a well-known face in the mainstream and the movie’s high praise, it’s certainly interesting that Poor Things didn’t garner more attention in theaters.
Yorgos Lanthimos Is The Very Definition Of An Independent Artist
Yorgos Lanthimos is in the same field as Wes Anderson; two extremely talented and original filmmakers who craft films that are mainly watched by cinephiles. Lanthimos’ films tend to be the following: weird, darkly humorous, and have a distinct visual flair. This isn’t me criticizing the Oscar nominee as he’s truly one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood right now. However, his films just aren’t suited for the mainstream.
While originality is always welcome in the world of filmmaking, films that are so out-of-box tend to be perceived as pretentious affairs that annoy the mainstream more than anything. The masses tend to lean towards the familiar, which is why blockbusters go under a strict protocol from studios because the prime objective for those films is to make huge amounts of money. Poor Things was made for $35 million, so Lanthimos doesn’t have to worry about his film being a huge box office bomb. He understands that his films are an acquired taste, and though he’s one of the more respected names in the business, he is far from a box office draw.
Sex! Sex! Sex!
Another hot topic was the copious amounts of sex in Poor Things. Look, sex sells in North America. Porn is a billion-dollar industry for a reason. It’s also the reason why both men and women in Hollywood go through a strict regime just to fit a standard on the looks scale. It’s been noticeable through television and films that more sex has been included in media. Game of Thrones is the first piece of media to display graphic scenes of sex, and it remains one of the most popular shows in the history of television. A film like 50 Shades of Grey showcased that sex sells in the movie market as well.
Of course, quality is always going to triumph over anything. It’s a big reason that 50 Shades of Grey saw diminishing returns for its two sequels. While Poor Things is one of the best films of 2023, the main topic people discuss is the amount of sex displayed in the film. Though sex sells, it’s still a taboo subject for many filmgoers. When the main source of buzz surrounding your film is about the copious amounts of graphic sex displayed on the screen, it WILL turn off several fans who were interested in the feature from the beginning.
Films and television aren’t seen as pornography. Say what you will about Game of Thrones, but fans stayed because of the captivating storytelling and intriguing characters. In fact, the sex notably lessened as the seasons went on. This is still an uncomfortable subject for most of the masses, and most skipped on watching something so raunchy for the holidays.
Feminist Themes
Poor Things wasn’t trashed for its clear feminist themes. Lanthimos does an excellent job of exploring these themes subtly and compellingly. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the topics he explores, but audiences are notably over films with feminist themes. Granted, Barbie was the number one movie of 2023, and that film lacked any of the subtly that Poor Things has. The key thing is that Barbie correctly targeted its demographic.
Poor Things skews more toward the female audience, but Lanthimos isn’t particularly a feminist director. His demographic is rather split since The Favorite is another film of that targets women. The point is, Poor Things just wasn’t a movie that had much interest from women despite its themes. Men also weren’t that invested in a film that wasn’t necessarily speaking to them. Poor Things surely deserves its Oscar nominations, but it was ultimately a film that targeted a small group of movie fans.
Follow Us
