First Take: Poor Things - ‘jumping’ so furious it got (rightly) cut by the BBFC

SYNOPSIS: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter; a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.

When you see the name Yorgos Lanthimos attached to a film, you know it’s going to get incredibly strange. This is the man who brought us The Lobster, Killing of a Sacred Deer and of course The Favourite. But give him a Hollywood budget, a 1992 book by Alasdair Gray and the lead actress he can get some fine performances out of in any situation, and you get this: a mad, bonkers but incredibly bold film that leaves no stone unturned. To say any more about the plot beyond what’s been given by Searchlight WILL spoil it. It’s that kind of film.

Anyone who knows Lanthimos’ style will know exactly what to expect in this 2 hour 21 minute ‘experience’ - because that’s the best way to describe it really - which is surreal at moments but has a lot of heart to it, such is the way Tony McNamara’s adaptation of the book is written, and of course, this is really well paced and in keeping with the look and feel of both the book and Lanthimos’ work- and a key element of that is DOP Robbie Ryan. Shot on specially struck Kodak film, this is a colourful film that looks right at home on the big screen even with the darker edge of the plot, and on top of this, for the first time since he started making films in the English language, Lanthimos has employed a more conventional score - well, more conventional in the terms of it being ‘original music’ - from musician Jerskin Fendrix, all of which you’ll have heard in the trailers which have done the rounds for the last few months.

Undeniably this film is Emma Stone’s finest performance in some time, taking this character and cleverly showing her development - subtly and effectively - as this plot plays out, plus with Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef and Willem Dafoe as your main supporting talent, you know you are on to a winner, with Ruffalo acting as a cleverly written foil to the Bella character as this crazy journey unfolds. Rounding out the cast is Margaret Qualley, Vicki Pepperdine, Jerrod Carmichael and Christopher Abbott also being involved, this entire cast bought in to the vision of Lanthimos big time. Sadly there is one major thing of note to mention from an industry standpoint, quite rightly this is an 18 certificate for fairly understandable reasons if you read the information that’s been put out, but this has been cut globally after an infamous BBFC advice screening in post production. One scene fell victim due to the Protection of Children Act 1978, that’s how heavy this film gets at times. It’s not an easy watch. But it’s got the attention of the awards voters alright.

THE VERDICT

On opening day here in the UK this film confused, baffled, and shocked cinemagoers - as well as the poor staff who had to do a screen check during the film’s most shocking moments - but Poor Things is rightly one of this year’s Oscar contenders. It’s already picked up 2 Golden Globes, and with the other major awards shortlists due imminently, it’s a dead cert for a few more nominations at the very least.

RATING: 4.5/5