What are we watching this week? If there is a film to see in the cinema, it is this very original story of female emancipation, which has already won numerous awards.
Do we already have the best film of 2024? It is certainly still too early to say, but this dramatic comedy, in theaters this Wednesday, January 17, is already a serious competitor and could easily appear on the list. Delicious, ambitious and daring, he has already won several awards, and could leave the Oscars ceremony with several statuettes in a few weeks.
Poor Creatures is the new gothic fable by Yórgos Lánthimos. The Greek filmmaker has already distinguished himself as a key figure in contemporary international auteur cinema, thanks to his radical offerings such as The Lobster or The Favorite.
His new film, to be discovered on Wednesday, already promises to get people talking. This adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel, published in 1992, tells the story of Bella Baxter’s quest for emancipation. And this young woman is not like the others, since a scientist transplanted the brain of her unborn child into her adult body. Although she has the appearance of a woman, she nevertheless has everything to learn. In the company of a libidinous lawyer, she sets off to discover the world.
A true cinematographic and narrative success, Poor Creatures is therefore a feminine Frankenstein. Through Bella’s journey, Yórgos Lánthimos tells the story of the emancipation of a woman through her body, her sexuality, but also through her intelligence, her free will and her sensitivity. All served by crazy and jubilant humor and a staging combining gothic aesthetics with a fantastic and surreal universe.
In the leading role, the Greek director gives Emma Stone a score that is as astonishing as it is delightful. She gives one of the best performances of her career, already dotted with excellent performances. The actress has already won several awards for her portrayal of Bella, including the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and is already among the favorites to win the Oscar for Best Actress, which could be the second of his career (after that obtained in 2017 for La La Land).
She stars alongside Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe (both nominated for a Golden Globe for this film) and Ramy Yousseff. For its part, the film has already won the Golden Lion at the last Venice Film Festival, the supreme award of the Italian festival. It has a very good chance of being one of the films nominated (or even awarded) at the Oscars on March 11, 2024. Poor Creatures is a dramatic comedy to be seen in theaters from January 17, 2024.