Yorgos Lanthimos is a name that might not roll off the tongue, but it’s a name that you need to learn quickly because he is one of the most exciting directors on the scene. His films push the boundaries of cinema to the limit. With a batch of celebrated movies behind him: Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of the Scared Deer and the Oscar-winning The Favourite, there is an almost fever-pitch excitement about his latest movie, Poor Things. And rightly so, because this is possibly the most extraordinary, exhilarating, bat-crazy film you will see this or any other year. And it’s a masterpiece.

Bella Baxter is a woman brought back to life by the unorthodox scientist Dr Godwin Baxter. With child-like innocence, Dr Baxter, or God as Bella calls him, keeps her away from the world, but Bella wants to learn. Taken away from her creator by the debauched Duncan Wedderburn, Bella explores the outside and slowly grows into a woman of great intelligence and independence.

I want to keep the plot simple because this is a film you will enjoy with little information. Unlike anything you will likely see in mainstream cinema, it is a wild, imaginative journey. Lanthimos has delivered his version of Frankenstein, a tale of reanimation for surrealist fans. Every inch of the screen is utilised, and you cannot look away for a moment; otherwise, you will miss something else magical.

It’s hard to know where to start. The film begins in black and white as we are introduced to the strange household of Dr Baxter and his creations. A man with terrifying scars, as if he has been put together by other human beings, who produces giant bubbles after eating (I told you it’s weird). His experiments on animals run around the house, so we see pig’s heads on a chicken’s body and a duck with a dog’s body. His most incredible creation is Bella, a woman who committed suicide, and he brought her back to life with the help of her unborn child. At first, she is playful and totally innocent, but she soon discovers how to make herself “happy”, which starts her exploration.

When the opportunity to escape her home is offered by the caddish Duncan Wedderburn, a man who arrives to draw up a contract which keeps Bella almost imprisoned in his home when she marries researcher Max McCandles, Duncan’s intrigue about this remarkable woman is strong enough to take her out into the world, mainly for his own pleasurable use, not realising that she is starting to lose her child-like spirit and longs to grow.

Once Bella has left the confines of the house, the film shifts into colour and all the magic it creates. This is a cross between Victorian values and steampunk science fiction. The set alone is worth the admission fee, with breathtaking production designs and costumes. At the same time, the cinematography by Robbie Ryan is magnificent, using a fish-eye lens to enhance the story’s weirdness. It’s all there to disorient the audience while enhancing the tale. The music by Jerskin Fendrix is both jarring and daring, yet as strange as it sounds, it works brilliantly to set the mood for this unusual piece.

What is surprising is just how funny the film is. Lanthimos and screenwriter Tony McNamara have created a comedy amongst the chaos. It goes from board slapstick to lurid, almost Carry On humour. This is about as funny as a comedy can get, and it is needed throughout to help understand what Bella is experiencing. It has one of the most comic dance sequences when Bella’s childish jumps and skips are turned into a bizarre ballroom routine. It also has to be noted that this is not for the prudish. Bella’s love for physical contact is part of her growth, and nothing is held back.

The cast is a dream to behold. Willem Dafoe is incredibly creepy as the mysterious Dr Baxter; with his German accent and badly scarred face, he adds a sense of mystery to the proceedings. Mark Ruffalo is hilarious as Duncan, a man full of charm and wonder at the beginning but reduced to an obsessive mess as he hates to see Bella’s independence grow so strong. Having been caught up in the Marvel world as Hulk, it is lovely to see him back to serious acting; if you can call this crazed man serious, it is another matter.

At the helm is Emma Stone. This is her crowning glory, having previously starred in Lanthimos’s The Favourite. A role that sees her go from child to teenager to woman. We are part of that journey, and she is mesmerising. Her every movement, her every utterance, is captivating. She pushes herself in a way that is so far removed from her early days as a young comic actress in Superbad and The House Bunny to a career-changing performance that will have everyone talking about for years to come. She is magnificent.

Poor Things is a movie that won’t be for everyone, but those who experience it, and I’d advise you to see it on the big screen, will never forget it. It is a beautiful, shocking, funny, stunning piece of cinema that will make you question being accepted in society while thinking about how wild and crazy it all was. I loved every minute of it and cannot wait to see it again. If there is a more bizarre movie this year, I will literally eat my hat, and I have plenty to choose from.

5 out of 5

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Hanna Schgulla, Margaret Qualley, Christopher Abbott, Vicki Pepperdine

Written by: Tony McNamara and (based on the novel) Alasdair Gray

Running Time: 141 mins

Cert: 18

Release date: 12th January 2023