While Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film adaptation of Barbie departed from the pink plastic paradise of female leadership, Bella Baxter, the protagonist of Yorgos Lanthimos’ film Poor Things left a dungeon reminiscent of a German expressionist horror film in Black and White.
The loose adaptation of the Frankenstein-inspired novel, Poor Things by Alasdair Gray chronicles the life of the protagonist, Bella Baxter, as she simultaneously learns how to walk and navigate societal expectations. Set with the disturbing premise where a deceased woman is revived with the brain of her unborn baby, the experiment yields the expected strange results but also interesting revelations as test subject Bella begins to grow. Among the outcomes, viewers are presented with the uncanny visuals of a child’s development mirrored in an adult body but the quick addition of nihilistic views to Bella’s worldview.
In stark contrast to the pessimist-laden world of Poor Things lies Barbie, whose name even incites feelings of nostalgia and childhood innocence. Already having the backing of multiple generations of women and girls excited to see their favorite toy played out on the big screen with the auteur style of Gerwig, Barbie did not have to be so radical even in its subliminal messaging. Barbie, the titular character with her male accessory, Ken, are forced into the human world after the bond with her owner has left her with feelings to confront outside of her world.
The discordant score and darkly crass humor of Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos could not be farther from Greta Gerwig’s family-friendly pop culture sensation, Barbie, however the two share more than just their decadent and often-times avant-garde set designs. As the protagonists of both Barbie and Poor Things are violently thrust into the realities of their respective worlds with no prior knowledge, they discover not only the atrocities of human capability but the plight of the female experience.
Just as Barbie has received much flack in recent months for its mild feminist approach to “not doing enough”, Poor Things finds itself at the opposite end of the discussion with most of its content interpreted as “too much”. While the main criticism against Poor Things for its objectification is understandable considering the numerous sexual scenes, those scenes in question form a large part of the story.
To the chagrin of many, Poor Things director Lanthimos presents the harrowing idea that women are susceptible to being taken advantage of no matter the circumstances, including protagonist Bella’s case with her underdeveloped mind. As the story progresses, Bella’s development as an intellectual being puts her at odds with her lover who “missed her previous way of speaking”, a stage that essentially emulates baby talk.
And while the potential to be vulnerable at that rate is not easy to imagine or talk about, it must be discussed at length. Lanthimos is, however, able to successfully bring this issue to light along with comedy to soften the blow of the topic and make it entertaining but not so overdone to be tone-deaf to the issues surrounding it.
Considering the volume of modern feminism it can be difficult to encapsulate one film entirely as it will always leave out one subtopic or prioritize one message over another. Viewers should not blindly sing the praises of films with feminist undertones that “meet the bare minimum,” but should keep the conversation around these films to leave room for growth.
Despite the flaws of both Barbie and Poor Things, both films combined fulfill each other’s criticisms, thus making for the perfect double feature.
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