CAMEO: www.cameo.com/Adum Uncensored/Ad-free version on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/97324913 Uncensored/Ad-free version on TH-cam: th-cam.com/video/_Qo1Mpv8J7A/w-d-xo.html
If Adum happens to see this, I want to know what he thought of the lenses that blurred the background into a circular shape. I remember he specifically called them out when he watched the Kong x Godzilla trailer recently, and he didn't seem like he was a huge fan of them there. Do you feel like they fit better in something more stylized like Poor Things or did you even notice them at all?
Imagine stanning for a movie that is effectively a representation of child grooming and pedophilia while snub ing Godzilla Minus One. Adam has no standards. He's an embarrassment, can't believe I used to watch this gross loser.
@@FilmFanatic211 Adum has selective memory when it comes to criticism. Oh you're going to use a fisheye lens in this cheesy popcorn movie? Garbage... Oh... Charles Glumier filmed his entire French-language film about the struggle of a mime with cancer, through a TikTok filter that gave all the actors dog faces? 10/10 give it all the Oscars!
Honestly, I vastly prefer it. I wish he could do his best of the year lists again - those were my favorite things he's ever produced. So many great recommendations.
Cool observation! I like when Emma and Mark are on the rooftop at night and the clouds behind them look like a brain, with the fissures and all. Then a fireworks show begins and it looks like the neurons in the brain firing as Emma is experiencing lust and desire for the first time. Excellent.
I figured it was meant to reflect her growing sentience/cognition/agency. Disjointed cacophony at the beginning, and gaining structure and form as she learned. But I love your interpretation too
He did those burps because his father experimented on him and took away his gastric juices, so he has to add them artificially and the burps were a side affect from that.
@@axelvanhoorn9720considering Cruella also had like 4 other writers, would not be surprised to find out the majority of the flaws in Cruella were not his.
Mark Ruffalo is easily the biggest surprise here. He was great in Zodiac and Spotlight, but I had no idea he had such a slapstick performance like this in him. Genuinely a career best from him! Glad he was able to get away from the MCU intact.
I truly had no opinion on him before (despite seeing him in all those things above), like adum said he's never wowed me. But I was wonderfully surprised by him! He was so convincing and so fun.
There are few things as fun and rewarding as watching a movie where the artists involved take big risks and pull them off. I was lucky to see this movie in a pretty full theatre where the audience was fully into the experience. What a terrific movie.
I was in a mostly empty theater and the audience was filled with prudes that left at certain points. The only good that came out of it was an older woman who had a conversation with me as we headed out.
The soundtrack reminded me of Rugrats (early seasons, music by Mark Mothersbaugh). Those weird distorted notes feel appropriate for a character that has the brain of an infant - it represents curiosity and discovery.
Can really tell the enthusiasm Adam has talking about movies that he really likes. Was fun hearing you nerd out about this movie. I'ma give it a watch, cheers!
i'm so glad you mentioned how the style reminded you of lars von trier. when i walked out of the theater i had no clue who had directed it, i'd gone in completely blind only knowing the name of the movie, and i could have sworn lars directed it until i found out it was yorgos. realizing it was the same guy who did the killing of a sacred deer and the lobster put it into much better perspective, the style is definitely his, but it's so reminiscent of lars with the title cards, the bizarre artsy editing style and filming style, the way it's written, the provocativeness of the story, i was shocked realizing he hadn't been a part of the direction. incredibly well-made movie.
It is funny that you mentioned this being an autistic movie because I'm an autistic woman and found the main character so relatable to me. Glad I'm not the only one who thought the same. I too loved the film. It's beautiful.
Me too. Especially the things about sex and being unable to comprehend how neurotypical people view sex. A great movie that disturbed me for the first time in a long time.
I loved this movie to bits saw it in theatres a few weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Something interesting I noticed is that as the story progresses Bella becomes more mature and emotionally intelligent, as she begins to understand the world more the colour palette and set pieces becomes less and less absurdist, it isn’t so jarring that you feel like you’re watching a different film it’s still in line with the art style but it’s noticeable almost like she isn’t viewing the world as a child anymore but as an adult.
@@PaultheZigzag Duncan Wedderburn only gets interested in her (without even knowing/seeing her) when he learns that she doesn't have any experience or autonomy. It's very explicitly criticizing manipulitive men like him that seek to take advantage of more inexperienced (usually much younger and even underage) girls
Also while Godwin transplants a baby's brain, it keeps aging. The movie never specifies the passage of time or whether the brain development under these conditions would be the same as under a normal timeline. So there's no way to say what her mental age is when she starts masturbating/ having sex.
As someone on the autistic spectrum I never felt so represented, it was freaky. The scenes about "polite society" just hit deep with myself, especially with autism masking and learning how to fit in with normal societal norms and customs. My favorite movie in years
Absolutely - I grew up as an autistic girl and the thing about romantic partners telling you expectations and then getting mad when you follow them when you’re young and only just learning about sex and relationships was so relatable to me.
@@cesarcampos8746 so we only make movies about like world hunger and wars now? Nothing about people with personal issues or social commentary? Sounds boring.
This movie made feel so many things. Never have I experienced a movie that was at times so challenging and hard to watch, but also hilarious and clever like this one ever before. Damnit, I love this movie
@@SidV101I think she’s much, much better in Poor Things. She’s almost unrecognizable. Her physical performance in this alone is so much stronger. La La Land felt like Emma Stone singing and dancing, I don’t even remember her character’s name. I remember “Bellah Baxtah”.
@@caliban5505 Mia and Seb's names are seared into my memory, as is Bella's. I don't think any scene in Poor Things has the impact of Mia's final audition though. That scene is literally the only time I've ever seen my dad cry
Her performance in the Curse is also absolutely insane. I’ve always known she was an incredible actress but between this and that show she is on fkin fire rn.
A film I saw in theaters and can’t stop thinking about so much so that I would want to see it again so soon after watching. A rare 10 from Adum. Life is good again!
DANG!!! A rare 10/10!!! Glad you loved this movie as well, Adum! Really hope there will be an “Art of” book on Poor Things because everything about this movie is just spectacular Really loved this movie as well, it’s a very interesting concept and story, the set design and photography(thank you for mentioning the skies), the acting and the camera work is just a knock out of the park!! I did also notice the feminist theories in the story as well and at first I was thinking “Oh god, HERE WE GO” but I was very surprised on how the story handled these topics/theories on an even playing field; rather than just demonizing one side with the no redeeming of it and not realizing the hypocrisy; the story/director made sure to show both on an even playing field and show the positive and negative but being able to show a middle ground to it(ex: after Bella is taken to Alexandria and she’s shown the horrendous poverty of the locals and she’s absolutely devastated, which is understandable, but she is still in somewhere in a child/teenager way of thinking so she goes back on to the ship and decides to give all the winnings that Mark Ruffalo’s character won and “give it to poor people” and while she gives it to two shiphands who just fool her into thinking they’ll give the money to the locals; when we all know that’s not going to happen; you still think “well that was very kind of you; a bit misguided but I understand and you have a good heart, Bella” and we see after that experience Bella learns more about humanity and even thanks the guy who took her there even though he originally took her there to be a dick and to horrify her but even he apologizes to her but Bella forgives him and is grateful for that experience) Also thank you for mentioning how Emma Stone’s performance came off as “very autistic” because that’s what I was thinking but at the same time it didn’t come off as pandering or mean-spirited or going Simple Jack; but rather we see her grow from an adult woman with a babies developing brain and by the end through her very interesting and sexual journey, she’s grown mentally into someone who has seen so much than anyone else and has had her perception of the world and of life in various ways so everything is not like in the beginning of the movie where it’s all black and white. Now I’m really hoping Emma Stone gets that Oscar for her performance, just fantastic and the best performance of the year right up there with Ryan Gossling as Ken in Barbie. Now I’m trying to find the original novel it’s based on
Wow I can't believe how similarly we view the film and especially how it fits with Yorgos Lanthimos previous as well. I haven't stopped thinking or remembering the movie since watching it. I want to rewatch it for so many reasons, and a must watch for theaters Very interesting juxtaposition with Barbie being released and up against Poor Things with some very clear similar themes but approached very differently
Barbie did feminism better. As evidence , the insecure men who whined about Barbie have yet to say anything about Poor Things. You might say that Barbie is the better known film and that's why. That explanation falls apart when you take the shit ton of awards and Oscar nominations into consideration.
I feel completely opposite from the other commenter. When recommending it to my friends, I've said it has the interesting feminist concepts people keep saying Barbie has. I'd guess fewer people have seen Poor Things, and that's probably why more people complained about Barbie.
@@maryjaneshoe-fm4yrBarbie made 1.4 billion dollars at the box office, Poor Things made 81 million. That's about 17 times the eyes on Barbie that there are on Poor Things. Not only does that mean less weirdoes have seen Poor Things to throw hissy-fits, but there's less money in throwing a hissy-fit about it too. Of course there's less people complaining about it. Also, Barbie's feminism is in-your-face and preachy - it has a scene that's almost entirely a character ranting at the camera about the contradictions we impose on women - while Poor Things is more subtle and less openly preachy. I love both films, but Barbie's approach is a lot more likely to incite anger because a lot of insane right wingers are chronically unable to read metaphor.
@@masterplusmargarita I think the issue with films like barbie (and I actually liked it for the most part), is that they allow their message to get in the way of the narrative. I feel like, for the most part, if the narrative has to come to a screeching halt so a character can preach to the audience, you're probably doing something wrong. Poor things - I don't know if I would even call what it's doing a "message", it has themes it's asking the audience to engage with, and it perfectly weaves those themes into the narrative, so you as the audience experience them as you experience the narrative. I think a big difference here is that while Barbie is telling you what to think, Poor Things is asking you to think. One of them is treating you like a child, the other is treating you like an adult.
My favorite editing choice was on the boat, while Bella is reading and Duncan is standing infront of her. She says “your blocking my sun, then an immediate cut to a shot where an umbrella which would typically block the sun blocks Duncan’s head from the shot
Isn't it implied that Willem Defoe plays a version of Frankenstein's monster who outlives the first doctor and takes up his role? I've only seen the movie once so correct me if I'm wrong.
I really really enjoyed this movie! And cant add anything else to the discussion apart from, poor things set reminded me so incredibly much of the 1995 movie "La Cité des enfants perdus" with the ultra surreal but still grounded aesthetic! Also young Ron Pearlman 😉
I just saw it last night, and it's amazing how easy it is to just be swept away into the world. My local movie theater usually doesn't get stuff like this, so my only exposure to films like this are through YMS videos. I knew next to nothing going in, but Poor Things is far and away the best movie I've seen in some time.
I concur. I haven't stopped thinking about this and it's my favorite Lanthimos movie... which is saying a lot cuz I love them all so much. Glad it's getting the recognition it deserves. Such an excellent pitch black comedy imo.
Glad I'm not the only one noticing how autism-coded this film is. So many moments of Bella just being like "Why wouldn't I tell these people how little sense they're making?" Made me feel seen.
This movie sounds incredible. It's so good to watch you talk about movies with such passion. I also like how much you had to edit out your pauses in this vid bc it really sounds like you were so in awe of the film that you had to think really hard about how to phrase what you liked :P
Adum, you should check out Alasdair Gray’s illustrations and artwork! He was the author of the Poor Things novel and a lot of the films visuals are directly transcribed or influenced from Gray’s work, highly, highly recommend checking him out!
I love, with the fish-eye lenses, when he puts people right out at the edges of the frame. They end up barely-there, like they're on the periphery of your vision, and they're all geometrically fucked up and I love it.
Oh!! I can't tell you how happy I was when you put Alasdair into this video. His work needs to be experienced by more people. This movie is so special.
As an autistic woman, I am infantilized often by some and I see myself in Emma's character. I personally see this as an interpretation of autism in the Victorian Era. But that is my personal thing I choose to see in the film. I'd be interested in hearing what other's have to say.
that's a great way to put it. when you see the fusion animals you kinda of just accept it. I think it's a small detail that instantly sets a detail for you that this is the kinda of movie you are watching.
My dad, who is a physical therapist, said the reason why Willem Dafoes character was blowing bubbles because his father removed a certain organ in the body that allows him to defecate. Basically hes shitting from his mouth.
I really loved this movie, I cried, I felt so mesmerized, but I can’t agree with your statement about sex scenes in it being „meaningful”. It really felt explicit and the effect of these type of relationships on a woman (or a girl, or a child) wasn’t emphasized at all (like STDs, she went to „check” if she’s ill, but god, she must have been! she had sex with so many people, it was impossible that she didn’t catch anything serious, but they made it seem like she didn’t, and I’m not talking only about physical stuff, that shit has such a strong impact on your psyche, but that aspect was only briefly touched on). Probably because I’m a girl I kept wondering why wasn’t menstruation mentioned in it (there was peeing, masturbating etc. „explicit” things that are associated with growing up and later on discovering your body as you grow up, but nothing about period). And these sex scenes LOOKED like p*rn, I truly don’t think any woman would have sex like this if never exposed to p*rn and sex pictured in Hollywood.. I would’ve guessed that this is a movie made by a guy just by looking at it, not that it makes this movie bad or whatever, because it’s far from that, but these sex scenes were for me the weakest part of the movie (and unfortunately, it was a large part :(…….. ). This movie would be SO perfect for me if not this.
I agree with everything you said. It also bothered me that the hair on her head grows exceptionally fast but her legs and underarms remain perfectly smooth. And yeah, how does a she immediately intuitively know what she’s doing in the bedroom? Nobody’s is born knowing how to ride a man into next week 😅 Emma Stone is a great actress tho, like there was plenty to enjoy in the film but it wasn’t perfect.
Totally agree. Funny how the male author, male screenwriter, male cinematographer and male director all completely fail to understand lived female experience, especially female sexual experience..... Hmm, I wonder why? The sex scenes look like anything you'd find on the hetero side of p0rn hub - just with that saturation dial turned all the way up. And just like most heteronormative p0rn, in no way does that feel like real life sex, it's filmed through a male gaze - showing off Bella's body, not Bella's POV - and certainly is not focused on the logistics of female pleasure/female orgasm at all, even though she seems to love being treated like a blow up doll. I literally laughed when the lawyer declared himself the best lover on Earth. All except one sex scene are entirely phallocentric, not clitorocentric. All of her sex scenes are driven by male desire and fantasies, not her own. There's never a discussion of pregnancy, disease, assault, psychological trauma, emotion, any kind of consent, female pleasure or female orgasm. And she stays at the brothel indefinitely despite finding the men disgusting, sleeping with men whom she vocally expresses she does not want to sleep with for.... reasons? She had the means to leave at any point to do literally anything else, she wasn't getting sexual pleasure, and she was being coerced into acts she did not enjoy or even understand enough to consent to. I don't buy her character motivations here, and her actions are contrary to her own stated beliefs, feelings and logic. "If something is disgusting, why should I keep it my mouth?" - why does this logic not apply to sexual encounters she finds disgusting? Sure, while experimenting you have bad experiences, but you don't continue to have the same bad experience over and over, you learn and you adapt based on what you like and don't like. That her sexual experiences are so male-gaze and that she seems to love them all, even contradicting her earlier dialogue in which she explicitly states she does not love them all, proves that at best this is a feminist horror film, not a feminist fairytale. At least the book is honest in that it says up front that the story is told from an unreliable, limited male POV (McCandless's) and Bella herself denounces his account as "full of lies," and she hated it so much she burned all the copies save for one bc it was the only evidence her "poor fool" of a husband existed. In the movie, we have to figure that out ourselves. The creative choice to omit this largely undercuts its value as a feminist fable or a tale of liberation, as it is being seen by the (mostly male) critics. And notably in the book, she's "born" menstruating, she knows about pregnancy, disease, contraception and says no to PIV sex with men bc she doesn't want babies and thus understands consent to some degree. She goes on the cruise with Godwin and has many lovers before she meets the lawyer, meaning the film chose to make her more infantilized than the book and to make her first sexual experiences predatory. The movie makes her more baby-brained, less sexually experienced, and her sexual encounters more predatory - which you could argue is the point, but that's not how critics are seeing it - or how Bella is seeing it. They view her ignorant embrace of any and all experiences as "brave." And the movie suggests in many different ways that shame is the only reason women don't engage freely in sex, ignoring all the complex issues surrounding intimacy for women - like being assaulted, murdered, infected with (at the time) an incurable disease, traumatized or impregnated. The book isn't much better, but at least it considered the actual experience of living in a female body - the movie does not.
@@Chris-sm2uj It feels dystopian that we can label something as something it isn't and have the entire world believe it. A cis man writes a script for a faux feminist movie that perpetuates predatory behavior and unrealistic portrayals of women and it's being treated like the most pro women piece of art under the sun. disappointed but not surprised in today's world. side note, see how I didn't have to (try to) insult you to get my point across? it seems to me like you're projecting.
@@Chris-sm2uj As you contradict yourself telling someone to grow up and calling them "privileged" because they also have a different opinion than you lol you're no better than anyone else
I absolutely loved the movie the first time I watched it in theaters. I saw it again last night and somehow loved it and appreciated it even more. Special movie
I saw this in theaters with my dad and we both agreed that this was such an incredibly brilliant movie. It immediately became my favorite film of 2023 and I kept convincing everyone around me to check it out. I really love Yorgos LaLanthimos' films although I still have yet to check out Dogtooth. My brother saw my review and now he wants to go see it with me. I will see this movie again and again. It's a masterpiece to me. Not everyone is going to agree with me but I won't let that ruin my passion for this film. I love it!
This movie made me laugh out loud. It is interesting how it incorporates the idea of the body as a means of production, the idea of alienation at work and how it is not different from the social property of people. The characters say everything that goes through their heads, which is something that we usually filter, and that is why it seems so absurd and at the same time so true
I had SUCH a difficult time while watching the movie and in the weeks since getting over the fact that much of the movie is grown men having s relations with a young child. Over and over and over again. I couldnt ignore it. It took half the movie or so for me to even start thinking ok she at least has the mentality of an older teenager now so i can try to give this a little bit of forgiveness. I found it to be really distracting honestly and it deeply affected my enjoyment of the film even though so many other aspects of it really were immaculately done.
Maybe this was supposed to be played as just part of the absurdity of the film and the world? I'm not usually so sensitive to things like this but this just struck the peculiar note for me in the really wrong way.
They make it clear early on that her brain is developing extremely rapidly, so I never saw her as a child, just a young woman naïve to the ways of the world. Really, the whole point of Bella being a brain implanted into the body of her own mother is to have a character who experiences life without any preconceived notions. She's less like a child and more like an alien, visiting our planet and learning about human culture by throwing herself at whatever is most interesting to her at the time. Wedderburn is clearly a predator, but he's powerless to control Bella because she's *not* the foolish child he thinks she is. Just about the only time he makes her do something against her will is when he kidnaps her onto the boat, and she immediately calls him out for the deception and pretty much never trusts him again. The whole Wedderburn saga is more like a woman who dropped out of college to date a guy in a band, only to realize that he's a loser and going nowhere.
@@Narokkurai Exactly this! I'm sick of seeing all these comments from people who don't understand the first thing about the concept of the story calling it pedophilic. It's very clearly a narrative device used to study how a person with no inhibitions whatsoever would view the world, and how they would behave.
@@rickcanty unsurprisingly rude addition. I haven't even seen anyone else mention this. But I mean they showed her peeing herself and being unable to walk straight and then had her getting into relations in basically the next scene? It thought it was just uncomfortably fast
@@JMSaylerYou’re absolutely right and have every reason to feel uncomfortable. Bella started masturbating when she was still very much a toddler and could barely walk or speak. She didn’t even know what sex was, and the men took advantage of that. It’s a film about grooming, whether intentionally written that way or not. It also expresses female sexuality horribly.
I liked this film so much I saw it twice in the theater. I wanted to see it for a second time sitting relatively close to the screen so I could really explore the visuals. The sets are just so full of details its incredible really. Very unique film and I loved every second of it.
I saw it when it hit our local theater and other than leaving it feeling thoroughly entertained, uncomfortable and full of questions I remember thinking this would be the kind of movie Adum would love.
I have been waiting for this video! I adore Emma Stone, and she portrayed Bella Baxter impeccably. I felt so immersed in the universe Lanthimos created with a Victorian England aesthetic. As you said it yourself, the film talks about ideas and concepts that society just preaches, movies like those that preach have no substantial value or devices to make the viewer feel strongly about feminist ideas. It almost ridicules feminist ideals, tarnishing the overall message and blurring it from existence. Watching this film made me feel so heard and as though I am not the only one that feels this away about topics such as sexuality, gender roles and society in general. We have come such a long way and as a woman, watching this film with such passion made me feel satisfied. The costumes, the lighting, the directing/lines, characters. They all play a purpose in the film, not wasting away in the background. I appreciate how it explores sexuality in a way that is not demonized; this is life, and it’s portrayed raw quite literally. We are human and are said to be burdened with consciousness but that same consciousness is what gives us so much life and capability in creating a better life for ourselves and thereafter. (As we see in the conclusion of the film) I’m relieved to have had this conversation through an impactful journey. DEFINITELY re-watching this film soon! 10/10. Thanks for the video!
16:09 the only gripe/issue I had during the movie was the abrupt shift in Bella's attitude towards violence & death. Every other interaction she had leading up to that scene where she's exposed to the horrors of the slums gave off the impression that she had zero qualms or cares for the physical well-being of others (stabbing corpses in the morgue, squished frog)
My review after seeing the film: Emma Stone with an incredible performance - character growth in movement Iconic soundtrack paired with grotesque visuals Yorgos Lanthimos takes all the elements from his previous films and adds them into this twee steampunk world where it all blends into a meticulously stylized and concise film. Some parts were a bit on the nose, but other than that a big achievment in modern cinema!
Even half way through I wasn’t sure I’d like the movie. It was a little too long but I ended up loving it. I love movies that aren’t immediately forgettable.
Yeah I saw this a couple of days ago. Really, super good film - challenging but satisfying, as you say. Some really interesting themes that (as someone who doesn't watch a lot of films) I don't see tackled too often. Very glad I took the time to go see it.
This film is about as "feminist" as the game "Detroit Become Human" is "anti-racist." The "man = controlling" and "sex = empowering" have been passed around as shallow "feminist" messaging for decades, and the "childlike girl-woman who becomes an adult/empowered by having lots of sexy sex" is also getting pretty old as a trope, honestly. I know it was a novel first, and the criticism is the same for the novel. The visuals, costuming, music, acting, and humor are what make this movie great. The core concept is grating. I wish that the director had chosen a different book to base a film on.
very well said. if it weren't for the fake feminism, pedophilia tropes, and porn this movie would have been pretty decent. it was at least funny and had nice costumes. could have done without the AI skies.
@@rahtsnake144 Disagree with you calling the sex scenes porn. They're supposed to be uncomfortable and challenge the audience. It shows how some men like to control women and actually prefer if they have the mentality of a child. It's not porn.
Got lucky enough to watch this a film festival (Camerimage, after queueing for 4 hours). It was really great to watch this with an audience that's so eager to enjoy it, especially as the movie is unique enough that it took some time to figure out what it was even going for. When the movie clicked I had a great time with it.
I rarely diverge from Adam’s ranking by a lot, but I hated this movie. Everything I’ve read in reviews it’s supposedly trying to accomplish was better done by Barbie and/or Pinnochio. Seemed like an excuse to get Emma stone to play a child and have loads of really uncomfortable sex. Visually gorgeous film, absolutely disgusting and uncomfortable and just wouldn’t end
Thank you for this video! It was so cathartic, as Poor Things was my favorite movie of 2023 and many of my friends with whom I talk about movies most often really didn't like it, so my brain was telling me like "nooooo you need to shut up about it", despite having seen it three times and loved it more each time.
I liked this film! This comment bears no significant weight or criticality, I just wanted to let others know I enjoyed this film. Also the score too was my favorite part, so I’m basically God for predicting Adum’s brain
I'm surprised he liked it that much. I thought it was alright, but I felt like the ending contradicted a lot of the proposed themes of personal autonomy and the girl's stance on medical ethics and consent, and I personally found the camera work to be disorienting in a negative way. Also my wife said the book was better for what that's worth.
I’m actually one of those people who strongly disliked Killing of a Sacred Deer-and yet, this is one of my favorite movies of the year. Highly, highly recommend
Same. Im honestly surprised Adam likes it. I felt it was so idiotic. It came off as trying to be super deep and all I can think about is the Monolog Colin Farrell gives about jerking his dad off and how hilarious he looked spinning around blind folded about to shoot one of his kids. It was very fake deep in my opinion
I was blown away by it the first time and knew it was going to be quite a while before I see another movie as perfect as this one so I was lucky enough to get to see it 3 times in the theatre. Might be one of my favs all time
I have never disagreed so vehemently with a review of yours. I didn't think this was a bad movie but so pretentious and ultimately a waste of time. I dunno, for me it made me honestly uncomfortable how sexual he chose to make Bella's character when she's supposed to have the mind of a child, and it didn't feel like the movie was aware of how disturbing this aspect of the story is. For me, I could not disagree more that this movie's handling of the sexual element was meaningful or purposeful, and it did indeed seem pornographic/ perverted. I did not walk away from this movie feeling like the film is "feminist" or "exploring feminist concepts" and felt much more strongly that the director is a pervert. On top of that, the moments where you mentioned they want to engage with feminist concepts, those did feel very preachy and shoehorned in as a defense for the perverted aspects. I think your viewing of a worse movie primed you to like Poor Things more than someone who is walking in with a blank slate. Not saying my experience should ruin anyone else's, and I agree that everyone should see it and come to their own conclusions, but wanted to just voice that I had a starkly different experience watching. Even though I disagreed with your overall assessment, I thought your communication of points was great as always and enjoyed hearing your thoughts! Your appreciation of the music was especially infectious, and I did find myself thinking "oh yea, the music was very cool". So, while I felt you missed the mark with your conclusion, keep up the great concept!
Completely agree with your comment. It kind of annoyed me that Bella Baxter’s hair grows extremely fast but her underarms and legs remain conveniently hairless. Plus, I know they weren’t shooting for realism -but adult women’s bodies tend to become pregnant when they have regular unprotected intercourse with men. As a girlie myself, I just feel that you can’t meaningfully explore female sexuality if the fear of pregnancy is mysteriously absent.
@@marad786Nobody said it in the movie but the fact that she didn't have any period or got pregnant or anything of the sort made me think that the doctor removed her ovaries when he performed the surgery. That would def give her hormonal issues but considering the movie is far from realistic as far as medicine goes it's whatever.
Yorgos is just growing on me. I'm on the fence on Lobster and Sacred Deer but I get what they're doing as films and I love the premises. And Favourite is just a really good and accessible film from him. Still waiting to see this but I have high hopes. Also I'm amazed at how much I've grown to like Emma Stone between her work with him and especially that recent show The Curse she did with Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. The kind of wild swings I like to see actors take. The reason Robert Pattinson is such a highly regarded actor, basically. Exploring their boundaries and new frontiers as performers.
I have absolutely no idea how this movie is being talked about like it's somehow even remotely on the same level as the rest of lanthimos' filmography. It's merely ok. It completely loses any momentum or depth halfway through, becomes completely superficial and preachy in every idea it brings in, the actual character development or interesting character dynamics just yeet themselves off a cliff by the time we get to paris. Most interesting possibilities for characters just vanish, like willem defoe and the maccandles character who literally just tread water for half the runtime. The comedic parts and the coming of age part were good and meaningful because it actually involved genuine discovery and comedic and absurd in a meaningful way that made sense for Bella's perspective. The later half though? Just bleah. The latest section is genuinely infuriating. It's just the movie bringing things up and telling them to the audience without them amounting to anything. Oh poor people are a thing, will that amount to much? Nope. Oh you can sell sex for money? Will that change bella's view of sex or what people have to do to survive? Nope. Will having to work in a brothel in voctorian times expose her and have her make come to grips with any sort of dark reality of any kind? Nope. Will her discovery of her past create any lingering issue with her father? Make her wrestle with the idea of what it means to come to life in a way you don't accept? Nope. Will her discovery that she was a horrible person in her previous life change her outlook or make her discover anything about herself at all? Nope. Will her willingness to put herself in the hands of a maniac who thinks he owns her in the attempt to understand where she comes from lead to any real danger or any harsh realization of any kind? Nope. She just waltzes in and waltzes right out. Will her having grown up throughout maybe lead to some kind of evolution in her dynamic with mccandles? Nope, he's basically a prop character so the movie can end with her having a cuck husband. The ending was so genuinely unearned, one dimensional and tacked on that I was actively irritated by it. It's genuinely baffling for me to see this as even remotely in the same league as the favourite which was amazing, especially the ending. And yes, it was preachy, and more than that, it was scared as fuck of treating any actually dark or mature topic i any other way other than Bella walking in and telling how it is and then walking out without any actual development or discovery whatsoever. It was good in the lighearted sections, and then it failed miserably when it wanted to bring up anything heavy because we can't have any real consequences for the main character. At one point bella says that she's becoming hardened and cynical and I felt like scratching my head because she literally had nothing happen to or around her that even remotely suggested this. I can only assume that the movie couldn't possibly suggest there is anything bad about being a prostitute so it'll just have the character say what her development is supposed to be out loud instead. Same thing for every scene that follows. Fucking barbie had more genuine emotional complexity for its ending than this does. I wanted to love this movie, but damn is it disappointing. This doesn't reach high enough to scratch the favourite's knee. It might be more accessible, but ultimtely it's just more palatable and clean and convenient. If you told me lanthimos was gonna make an oscar bait movie this is pretty close to what I'd have envisioned. I would have called you crazy though
The one and only thing that didnt quite land for me was the relationship between Bella and her fiance, later in the film. I just had to assume they had more time together that we were not privy to, or that she saw him as the first "good guy", or that she wanted the experience of getting married. Or a combination of those things. Either way, I which we got one or two scenes more between them.
The style/look of this film reminds me of "What Dreams May Come." I love movies such as this one because I know that if I'm to fully enjoy it I must turn off all logic circuits in my mind. 😀
One of the few times I've completely disagreed with Adum. I felt disgusted at how the film is basically exploitation media because a mentally disabled woman who cannot properly consent to her experiences as she doesn't have the faculties to properly understand is continually taken advantage of by men. The whole thing is an extended sexual assault. Her brutalisation as a prostitute at the hands of male clients is framed as somehow empowering. A male author and a male director is trying to explain that having sex with a woman who has the brain of a child is perfectly fine because it's feminist and progressive, right?
you’re missing the whole point of that. it’s a criticism of the fact that the traditional idea of a “perfect” woman for a man is basically a child. the men around her start liking her less and less and she becomes less of a literal child. also, it serves to have a full grown woman who has not experienced any of the social conditioning that all women experience, so she just says things as they are; “you want to marry me or kill me”, etc.
Precisely my take on this. It’s glorification of sex as something that „empowers“ women if they only have enough of it. Yikes. She is basically disabled and can’t really consent, but of course being screwed in a brothel „sets you free“ 🤮 They tell us again that sex is something that empowers you at times where that message needs to be toned down, as we all are already able to sleep around as we please. It’s not the 60ies anymore! Instead the same people that find this crap progressive enrage themselves when the next Disney princess gets a true LOVEs kiss „without consent“. This movie has nothing to do with female empowerment, it’s the perverted fantasies of that director shown in a movie.
@@etalex7074I get your point but that was lost on me when the sex scenes in this film chose to be very porny, and clearly filmed in a way that was for the pleasure of the audience to be honest. The crazy amounts of sex scenes, with the focus being on her “o face” which still had that look that she had at the beginning of the film where she was clearly trying to portray a young “thoughtless” child, and the lack of exploration into female sexuality and the different aspects that women have to think about made this film come across as genuine porn and lacked that “feminist” commentary for me.
I like to think that the cinematography takes an fantasy approach at the beggining and slowly descends back to reality as Bella learns about the world and society. It's fantasy is to represent Bella's pure and infatile mind. Wonderful movie. Hope they get at least two Oscar
CAMEO: www.cameo.com/Adum
Uncensored/Ad-free version on Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/97324913
Uncensored/Ad-free version on TH-cam: th-cam.com/video/_Qo1Mpv8J7A/w-d-xo.html
If Adum happens to see this, I want to know what he thought of the lenses that blurred the background into a circular shape. I remember he specifically called them out when he watched the Kong x Godzilla trailer recently, and he didn't seem like he was a huge fan of them there. Do you feel like they fit better in something more stylized like Poor Things or did you even notice them at all?
Imagine stanning for a movie that is effectively a representation of child grooming and pedophilia while snub ing Godzilla Minus One.
Adam has no standards. He's an embarrassment, can't believe I used to watch this gross loser.
@@FilmFanatic211 Adum has selective memory when it comes to criticism.
Oh you're going to use a fisheye lens in this cheesy popcorn movie? Garbage...
Oh... Charles Glumier filmed his entire French-language film about the struggle of a mime with cancer, through a TikTok filter that gave all the actors dog faces? 10/10 give it all the Oscars!
Now that Poor Things got the rare 10/10 from Adum, it's guaranteed that will not win Best Picture.
Birdman got best picture
It will not win anything is what I think you meant.. poor thing that adum ..
Sad but true
Truly the worst tragedy of 2024. How will society ever recover. May god have mercy on our pitiful souls.
Didn't Parasite also win best picture?
While ragging on bad movies can obviously be quite fun, it’s so lovely to hear when Adum genuinely loves a movie so much
its a breath of fresh air for sure
Honestly, I vastly prefer it. I wish he could do his best of the year lists again - those were my favorite things he's ever produced. So many great recommendations.
he still does them, just takes a long time @@JDLuty-oc5hk
Unfortunately irs praise on a shitty movie lmao
I interpreted the score as a human brain experiencing music for the first time, which is not too far off!
Cool observation! I like when Emma and Mark are on the rooftop at night and the clouds behind them look like a brain, with the fissures and all. Then a fireworks show begins and it looks like the neurons in the brain firing as Emma is experiencing lust and desire for the first time. Excellent.
I can't hear it without thinking of Rugrats
I figured it was meant to reflect her growing sentience/cognition/agency. Disjointed cacophony at the beginning, and gaining structure and form as she learned. But I love your interpretation too
I interpreted it as a retarded metaphor for the disconnection of brain and body that made my ears vomit blood
Oh that's an interesting thought. Thank you for that.
He did those burps because his father experimented on him and took away his gastric juices, so he has to add them artificially and the burps were a side affect from that.
How's the book? Worth a read?
@@ZaneMillecchia its explained in the movie tho
i must’ve missed when he said that but i love this detail
@@ZaneMillecchiabest book I’ve read in a long time but it’s different than the movie
It’s from McCandless POV and there’s a twist in the epilogue
And his father removed his gastric acids just to prove that, yes, you do actually need them.
By the way, Yorgos didn’t write Poor Things, it was adapted by Tony McNamara who also wrote The Favourite :)
He also co-written Cruella, haha
@@axelvanhoorn9720considering Cruella also had like 4 other writers, would not be surprised to find out the majority of the flaws in Cruella were not his.
Okay?
Alasdair Gray. The author of the 1992 novel is* Alasdair Gray.
I think he needs to focus on just directing then lol
Of all his movies this is the one i enjoyed the most
Mark Ruffalo’s delivery of “ow” after getting slapped was perfect
Mark Ruffalo's comedic timing in this film is excellent. It reminded me how great he is as an actor.
And the smash cut directly to them kissing
His delivery of “CUUUUUUUUUNT!” was the best thing ever.
Really reminded me of Keanu Reeves lol
His reaction to the thrown goblet was my favorite
Can’t wait for it to get snubbed at the Oscars, inbetween 50 jokes about Barbie and Oppenheimer
“You know I was actually supposed to play the bomb.” Jimmothy Krimble
Looking at the nominations it has big chances to win Costumes and Best Actress but it might go home with 0 wins, sadly.
Can't wait for that gag to be 30 mins long! 🙃
@@cheeez9438 “I’m getting up there in age. For instance, my prostate is so big it gives Oppenheimer’s bomb a run for its money.”
-Jonathan Kimble
Don't forget the obligatory will smith slap joke!
Mark Ruffalo is easily the biggest surprise here. He was great in Zodiac and Spotlight, but I had no idea he had such a slapstick performance like this in him. Genuinely a career best from him! Glad he was able to get away from the MCU intact.
He's great in Fox Catcher too bud. great film.
I adore Mark Ruffalo so this is so great to hear.
To be honest, he was great in Avengers 1 as well.
I truly had no opinion on him before (despite seeing him in all those things above), like adum said he's never wowed me. But I was wonderfully surprised by him! He was so convincing and so fun.
@@CujoBD.Unanimously agree
There are few things as fun and rewarding as watching a movie where the artists involved take big risks and pull them off. I was lucky to see this movie in a pretty full theatre where the audience was fully into the experience. What a terrific movie.
Same, I've been telling friends to try to catch it in a full cinema. I haven't felt an audience get into a movie like that in a long time
I was in a mostly empty theater and the audience was filled with prudes that left at certain points. The only good that came out of it was an older woman who had a conversation with me as we headed out.
What was the risk? Getting Emma naked? Or showing penises?
Hahaha. When you talked about the skies, I knew John would come up
JON
The soundtrack reminded me of Rugrats (early seasons, music by Mark Mothersbaugh). Those weird distorted notes feel appropriate for a character that has the brain of an infant - it represents curiosity and discovery.
Can really tell the enthusiasm Adam has talking about movies that he really likes.
Was fun hearing you nerd out about this movie. I'ma give it a watch, cheers!
i'm so glad you mentioned how the style reminded you of lars von trier. when i walked out of the theater i had no clue who had directed it, i'd gone in completely blind only knowing the name of the movie, and i could have sworn lars directed it until i found out it was yorgos. realizing it was the same guy who did the killing of a sacred deer and the lobster put it into much better perspective, the style is definitely his, but it's so reminiscent of lars with the title cards, the bizarre artsy editing style and filming style, the way it's written, the provocativeness of the story, i was shocked realizing he hadn't been a part of the direction. incredibly well-made movie.
It is funny that you mentioned this being an autistic movie because I'm an autistic woman and found the main character so relatable to me. Glad I'm not the only one who thought the same. I too loved the film. It's beautiful.
Me too. Especially the things about sex and being unable to comprehend how neurotypical people view sex. A great movie that disturbed me for the first time in a long time.
I thought so too!!
Neurotypicals can be ENM too ;)
She wasn’t autistic. Her brain was of a child!!!
really are you serious? i thought the director was actually making fun of you
I loved this movie to bits saw it in theatres a few weeks ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Something interesting I noticed is that as the story progresses Bella becomes more mature and emotionally intelligent, as she begins to understand the world more the colour palette and set pieces becomes less and less absurdist, it isn’t so jarring that you feel like you’re watching a different film it’s still in line with the art style but it’s noticeable almost like she isn’t viewing the world as a child anymore but as an adult.
if she has sex a a baby brain, doesn't that make that exploitative because she can't consent like an adult can in a mature way?
@@PaultheZigzagthe point is a criticism of the fact that men generally prefer their women to be naive
@@PaultheZigzag Duncan Wedderburn only gets interested in her (without even knowing/seeing her) when he learns that she doesn't have any experience or autonomy. It's very explicitly criticizing manipulitive men like him that seek to take advantage of more inexperienced (usually much younger and even underage) girls
Also while Godwin transplants a baby's brain, it keeps aging. The movie never specifies the passage of time or whether the brain development under these conditions would be the same as under a normal timeline. So there's no way to say what her mental age is when she starts masturbating/ having sex.
@@etalex7074which was a point that probably could’ve been made without half the runtime being graphic sex scenes involving a child (directed by a man)
As someone on the autistic spectrum I never felt so represented, it was freaky. The scenes about "polite society" just hit deep with myself, especially with autism masking and learning how to fit in with normal societal norms and customs. My favorite movie in years
Absolutely - I grew up as an autistic girl and the thing about romantic partners telling you expectations and then getting mad when you follow them when you’re young and only just learning about sex and relationships was so relatable to me.
I thought the same!
Forst world problems the movie?
@@cesarcampos8746 not at all
@@cesarcampos8746 so we only make movies about like world hunger and wars now? Nothing about people with personal issues or social commentary? Sounds boring.
This movie made feel so many things. Never have I experienced a movie that was at times so challenging and hard to watch, but also hilarious and clever like this one ever before. Damnit, I love this movie
1:57 this is exactly what I thought of when I saw the skies 😂😂
I loved this film, everything was stunning. Visually gorgeous, loved the soundtrack
Poor things is astounding and everybody in it pulls off career peaks.
Emma Stone was this good in La La Land
@@SidV101I think she’s much, much better in Poor Things. She’s almost unrecognizable. Her physical performance in this alone is so much stronger. La La Land felt like Emma Stone singing and dancing, I don’t even remember her character’s name. I remember “Bellah Baxtah”.
@@caliban5505 Mia and Seb's names are seared into my memory, as is Bella's. I don't think any scene in Poor Things has the impact of Mia's final audition though. That scene is literally the only time I've ever seen my dad cry
Her performance in the Curse is also absolutely insane. I’ve always known she was an incredible actress but between this and that show she is on fkin fire rn.
A film I saw in theaters and can’t stop thinking about so much so that I would want to see it again so soon after watching. A rare 10 from Adum. Life is good again!
Can you say what are you thinking about?
DANG!!! A rare 10/10!!!
Glad you loved this movie as well, Adum! Really hope there will be an “Art of” book on Poor Things because everything about this movie is just spectacular
Really loved this movie as well, it’s a very interesting concept and story, the set design and photography(thank you for mentioning the skies), the acting and the camera work is just a knock out of the park!!
I did also notice the feminist theories in the story as well and at first I was thinking “Oh god, HERE WE GO” but I was very surprised on how the story handled these topics/theories on an even playing field; rather than just demonizing one side with the no redeeming of it and not realizing the hypocrisy; the story/director made sure to show both on an even playing field and show the positive and negative but being able to show a middle ground to it(ex: after Bella is taken to Alexandria and she’s shown the horrendous poverty of the locals and she’s absolutely devastated, which is understandable, but she is still in somewhere in a child/teenager way of thinking so she goes back on to the ship and decides to give all the winnings that Mark Ruffalo’s character won and “give it to poor people” and while she gives it to two shiphands who just fool her into thinking they’ll give the money to the locals; when we all know that’s not going to happen; you still think “well that was very kind of you; a bit misguided but I understand and you have a good heart, Bella” and we see after that experience Bella learns more about humanity and even thanks the guy who took her there even though he originally took her there to be a dick and to horrify her but even he apologizes to her but Bella forgives him and is grateful for that experience)
Also thank you for mentioning how Emma Stone’s performance came off as “very autistic” because that’s what I was thinking but at the same time it didn’t come off as pandering or mean-spirited or going Simple Jack; but rather we see her grow from an adult woman with a babies developing brain and by the end through her very interesting and sexual journey, she’s grown mentally into someone who has seen so much than anyone else and has had her perception of the world and of life in various ways so everything is not like in the beginning of the movie where it’s all black and white. Now I’m really hoping Emma Stone gets that Oscar for her performance, just fantastic and the best performance of the year right up there with Ryan Gossling as Ken in Barbie.
Now I’m trying to find the original novel it’s based on
Way to bring a film down to a number, you're a dumb dumb
Wow I can't believe how similarly we view the film and especially how it fits with Yorgos Lanthimos previous as well. I haven't stopped thinking or remembering the movie since watching it. I want to rewatch it for so many reasons, and a must watch for theaters
Very interesting juxtaposition with Barbie being released and up against Poor Things with some very clear similar themes but approached very differently
Barbie did feminism better. As evidence , the insecure men who whined about Barbie have yet to say anything about Poor Things. You might say that Barbie is the better known film and that's why. That explanation falls apart when you take the shit ton of awards and Oscar nominations into consideration.
I feel completely opposite from the other commenter. When recommending it to my friends, I've said it has the interesting feminist concepts people keep saying Barbie has. I'd guess fewer people have seen Poor Things, and that's probably why more people complained about Barbie.
@@maryjaneshoe-fm4yr Implying award nominations have anything to do with quality
@@maryjaneshoe-fm4yrBarbie made 1.4 billion dollars at the box office, Poor Things made 81 million. That's about 17 times the eyes on Barbie that there are on Poor Things. Not only does that mean less weirdoes have seen Poor Things to throw hissy-fits, but there's less money in throwing a hissy-fit about it too. Of course there's less people complaining about it.
Also, Barbie's feminism is in-your-face and preachy - it has a scene that's almost entirely a character ranting at the camera about the contradictions we impose on women - while Poor Things is more subtle and less openly preachy. I love both films, but Barbie's approach is a lot more likely to incite anger because a lot of insane right wingers are chronically unable to read metaphor.
@@masterplusmargarita I think the issue with films like barbie (and I actually liked it for the most part), is that they allow their message to get in the way of the narrative. I feel like, for the most part, if the narrative has to come to a screeching halt so a character can preach to the audience, you're probably doing something wrong.
Poor things - I don't know if I would even call what it's doing a "message", it has themes it's asking the audience to engage with, and it perfectly weaves those themes into the narrative, so you as the audience experience them as you experience the narrative. I think a big difference here is that while Barbie is telling you what to think, Poor Things is asking you to think. One of them is treating you like a child, the other is treating you like an adult.
My favorite editing choice was on the boat, while Bella is reading and Duncan is standing infront of her. She says “your blocking my sun, then an immediate cut to a shot where an umbrella which would typically block the sun blocks Duncan’s head from the shot
3:40 insightful contribution Alex ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡° )
rest in peace Ralph Sepe
Isn't it implied that Willem Defoe plays a version of Frankenstein's monster who outlives the first doctor and takes up his role? I've only seen the movie once so correct me if I'm wrong.
I just watched a movie a week ago. I’m rocking with this theory lol
Second Adum 10 where Willem Dafoe gets to be a weird weird guy
i had no idea willem was even in it until I watched it today and his character was more than anything I could've hoped for
I really really enjoyed this movie! And cant add anything else to the discussion apart from, poor things set reminded me so incredibly much of the 1995 movie "La Cité des enfants perdus" with the ultra surreal but still grounded aesthetic! Also young Ron Pearlman 😉
City of Lost Children? It's a cult classic. Loved it as a kid.
“A whole fuckin’ trip” really is the best description of this film.
Ya I just watched this on shrooms, this is my favorite film of all time honestly lol
I just saw it last night, and it's amazing how easy it is to just be swept away into the world. My local movie theater usually doesn't get stuff like this, so my only exposure to films like this are through YMS videos. I knew next to nothing going in, but Poor Things is far and away the best movie I've seen in some time.
WHOA! The rare 10 out of 10 YMS rating
Doesn't mean anything dumb dumb
@@honeybadgerjay1724 Pretty much your comment doesn't mean anything. 0/10 for honeybadgerjay's dumb dumb butthurt comment 🤣🍷
I fucking love this movie.
The bubbles you've mentioned are Godwin's stomach acids that he needs to "let out" while eating.
I like to play a game when I watch Adam's videos: if he rates it 10/10 then party hard. Looks like I get to finally party hard
"this movie is incredible"
- Your Movie Sucks, 2024
Yeah, this was a masterpiece. I can't believe this guy keeps getting better with every film.
I concur. I haven't stopped thinking about this and it's my favorite Lanthimos movie... which is saying a lot cuz I love them all so much.
Glad it's getting the recognition it deserves. Such an excellent pitch black comedy imo.
Agreeeeeeeddd. Love their movies but this is by far my favorite by a mile.
Glad I'm not the only one noticing how autism-coded this film is.
So many moments of Bella just being like "Why wouldn't I tell these people how little sense they're making?"
Made me feel seen.
This movie sounds incredible. It's so good to watch you talk about movies with such passion. I also like how much you had to edit out your pauses in this vid bc it really sounds like you were so in awe of the film that you had to think really hard about how to phrase what you liked :P
The set design and skies alone give me Terry Gilliam vibes. Beautiful visual work here.
Adum, you should check out Alasdair Gray’s illustrations and artwork! He was the author of the Poor Things novel and a lot of the films visuals are directly transcribed or influenced from Gray’s work, highly, highly recommend checking him out!
I love, with the fish-eye lenses, when he puts people right out at the edges of the frame. They end up barely-there, like they're on the periphery of your vision, and they're all geometrically fucked up and I love it.
Right when you started talking about skies I knew a reference to *Jon* was imminent lol
The soundtrack went from sounding like SFM youtube poops to parts of The Holy Mountain. And it was perfect.
I watched this last week and I haven't stopped thinking about it. It's amazing.
Oh!! I can't tell you how happy I was when you put Alasdair into this video. His work needs to be experienced by more people. This movie is so special.
As an autistic woman, I am infantilized often by some and I see myself in Emma's character. I personally see this as an interpretation of autism in the Victorian Era. But that is my personal thing I choose to see in the film. I'd be interested in hearing what other's have to say.
What an odd thing to say.
that's a great way to put it. when you see the fusion animals you kinda of just accept it. I think it's a small detail that instantly sets a detail for you that this is the kinda of movie you are watching.
My dad, who is a physical therapist, said the reason why Willem Dafoes character was blowing bubbles because his father removed a certain organ in the body that allows him to defecate. Basically hes shitting from his mouth.
Oh my…
I love it when Adum loves a movie. It looks gorgeous too!
I really loved this movie, I cried, I felt so mesmerized, but I can’t agree with your statement about sex scenes in it being „meaningful”. It really felt explicit and the effect of these type of relationships on a woman (or a girl, or a child) wasn’t emphasized at all (like STDs, she went to „check” if she’s ill, but god, she must have been! she had sex with so many people, it was impossible that she didn’t catch anything serious, but they made it seem like she didn’t, and I’m not talking only about physical stuff, that shit has such a strong impact on your psyche, but that aspect was only briefly touched on). Probably because I’m a girl I kept wondering why wasn’t menstruation mentioned in it (there was peeing, masturbating etc. „explicit” things that are associated with growing up and later on discovering your body as you grow up, but nothing about period). And these sex scenes LOOKED like p*rn, I truly don’t think any woman would have sex like this if never exposed to p*rn and sex pictured in Hollywood.. I would’ve guessed that this is a movie made by a guy just by looking at it, not that it makes this movie bad or whatever, because it’s far from that, but these sex scenes were for me the weakest part of the movie (and unfortunately, it was a large part :(…….. ). This movie would be SO perfect for me if not this.
I agree with everything you said. It also bothered me that the hair on her head grows exceptionally fast but her legs and underarms remain perfectly smooth. And yeah, how does a she immediately intuitively know what she’s doing in the bedroom? Nobody’s is born knowing how to ride a man into next week 😅 Emma Stone is a great actress tho, like there was plenty to enjoy in the film but it wasn’t perfect.
Totally agree. Funny how the male author, male screenwriter, male cinematographer and male director all completely fail to understand lived female experience, especially female sexual experience..... Hmm, I wonder why?
The sex scenes look like anything you'd find on the hetero side of p0rn hub - just with that saturation dial turned all the way up. And just like most heteronormative p0rn, in no way does that feel like real life sex, it's filmed through a male gaze - showing off Bella's body, not Bella's POV - and certainly is not focused on the logistics of female pleasure/female orgasm at all, even though she seems to love being treated like a blow up doll. I literally laughed when the lawyer declared himself the best lover on Earth. All except one sex scene are entirely phallocentric, not clitorocentric. All of her sex scenes are driven by male desire and fantasies, not her own. There's never a discussion of pregnancy, disease, assault, psychological trauma, emotion, any kind of consent, female pleasure or female orgasm. And she stays at the brothel indefinitely despite finding the men disgusting, sleeping with men whom she vocally expresses she does not want to sleep with for.... reasons? She had the means to leave at any point to do literally anything else, she wasn't getting sexual pleasure, and she was being coerced into acts she did not enjoy or even understand enough to consent to. I don't buy her character motivations here, and her actions are contrary to her own stated beliefs, feelings and logic. "If something is disgusting, why should I keep it my mouth?" - why does this logic not apply to sexual encounters she finds disgusting? Sure, while experimenting you have bad experiences, but you don't continue to have the same bad experience over and over, you learn and you adapt based on what you like and don't like. That her sexual experiences are so male-gaze and that she seems to love them all, even contradicting her earlier dialogue in which she explicitly states she does not love them all, proves that at best this is a feminist horror film, not a feminist fairytale. At least the book is honest in that it says up front that the story is told from an unreliable, limited male POV (McCandless's) and Bella herself denounces his account as "full of lies," and she hated it so much she burned all the copies save for one bc it was the only evidence her "poor fool" of a husband existed. In the movie, we have to figure that out ourselves. The creative choice to omit this largely undercuts its value as a feminist fable or a tale of liberation, as it is being seen by the (mostly male) critics. And notably in the book, she's "born" menstruating, she knows about pregnancy, disease, contraception and says no to PIV sex with men bc she doesn't want babies and thus understands consent to some degree. She goes on the cruise with Godwin and has many lovers before she meets the lawyer, meaning the film chose to make her more infantilized than the book and to make her first sexual experiences predatory. The movie makes her more baby-brained, less sexually experienced, and her sexual encounters more predatory - which you could argue is the point, but that's not how critics are seeing it - or how Bella is seeing it. They view her ignorant embrace of any and all experiences as "brave." And the movie suggests in many different ways that shame is the only reason women don't engage freely in sex, ignoring all the complex issues surrounding intimacy for women - like being assaulted, murdered, infected with (at the time) an incurable disease, traumatized or impregnated. The book isn't much better, but at least it considered the actual experience of living in a female body - the movie does not.
@@thedeadlyviperassassinatio8210meaningless word salad
it feels so dystopian that this movie is getting such praise. it makes me so sad. we never learn.
"It feels so dystopian that people have a different opinion than me"
Grow up privileged kid
@@Chris-sm2uj It feels dystopian that we can label something as something it isn't and have the entire world believe it. A cis man writes a script for a faux feminist movie that perpetuates predatory behavior and unrealistic portrayals of women and it's being treated like the most pro women piece of art under the sun. disappointed but not surprised in today's world.
side note, see how I didn't have to (try to) insult you to get my point across? it seems to me like you're projecting.
i think its very sad that people can see something like this and only take away the one thing from it.
@@52BLUE what else then?
@@Chris-sm2uj As you contradict yourself telling someone to grow up and calling them "privileged" because they also have a different opinion than you lol you're no better than anyone else
I absolutely loved the movie the first time I watched it in theaters. I saw it again last night and somehow loved it and appreciated it even more. Special movie
Wild, everyone in my theatre actively talked about how bad it was as soon as it ended lmaooo
I saw this in theaters with my dad and we both agreed that this was such an incredibly brilliant movie. It immediately became my favorite film of 2023 and I kept convincing everyone around me to check it out. I really love Yorgos LaLanthimos' films although I still have yet to check out Dogtooth. My brother saw my review and now he wants to go see it with me. I will see this movie again and again. It's a masterpiece to me. Not everyone is going to agree with me but I won't let that ruin my passion for this film. I love it!
i love the shot taken at jon favreau when talking about skies.
This movie made me laugh out loud. It is interesting how it incorporates the idea of the body as a means of production, the idea of alienation at work and how it is not different from the social property of people. The characters say everything that goes through their heads, which is something that we usually filter, and that is why it seems so absurd and at the same time so true
You don't own your own body when you work at the brothel. The owner does until you pay off your debt.
1:02 on behalf of Gael, that's a french bulldog, not a pug
It feels like a combination of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Terry Gilliam which automatically makes it a cinematic masterpiece
Poor Things is the first movie I’ve gone to see twice in the theater in over a decade. So well done.
I had SUCH a difficult time while watching the movie and in the weeks since getting over the fact that much of the movie is grown men having s relations with a young child. Over and over and over again. I couldnt ignore it. It took half the movie or so for me to even start thinking ok she at least has the mentality of an older teenager now so i can try to give this a little bit of forgiveness. I found it to be really distracting honestly and it deeply affected my enjoyment of the film even though so many other aspects of it really were immaculately done.
Maybe this was supposed to be played as just part of the absurdity of the film and the world? I'm not usually so sensitive to things like this but this just struck the peculiar note for me in the really wrong way.
They make it clear early on that her brain is developing extremely rapidly, so I never saw her as a child, just a young woman naïve to the ways of the world. Really, the whole point of Bella being a brain implanted into the body of her own mother is to have a character who experiences life without any preconceived notions. She's less like a child and more like an alien, visiting our planet and learning about human culture by throwing herself at whatever is most interesting to her at the time.
Wedderburn is clearly a predator, but he's powerless to control Bella because she's *not* the foolish child he thinks she is. Just about the only time he makes her do something against her will is when he kidnaps her onto the boat, and she immediately calls him out for the deception and pretty much never trusts him again. The whole Wedderburn saga is more like a woman who dropped out of college to date a guy in a band, only to realize that he's a loser and going nowhere.
@@Narokkurai Exactly this! I'm sick of seeing all these comments from people who don't understand the first thing about the concept of the story calling it pedophilic. It's very clearly a narrative device used to study how a person with no inhibitions whatsoever would view the world, and how they would behave.
@@rickcanty unsurprisingly rude addition. I haven't even seen anyone else mention this. But I mean they showed her peeing herself and being unable to walk straight and then had her getting into relations in basically the next scene? It thought it was just uncomfortably fast
@@JMSaylerYou’re absolutely right and have every reason to feel uncomfortable. Bella started masturbating when she was still very much a toddler and could barely walk or speak. She didn’t even know what sex was, and the men took advantage of that. It’s a film about grooming, whether intentionally written that way or not. It also expresses female sexuality horribly.
I liked this film so much I saw it twice in the theater. I wanted to see it for a second time sitting relatively close to the screen so I could really explore the visuals. The sets are just so full of details its incredible really. Very unique film and I loved every second of it.
I saw it when it hit our local theater and other than leaving it feeling thoroughly entertained, uncomfortable and full of questions I remember thinking this would be the kind of movie Adum would love.
The Favourite was more my cup of tea to be honest.
The whole woman body with a baby’s brain thing didn’t stop being disturbing after she matured.
I have been waiting for this video!
I adore Emma Stone, and she portrayed Bella Baxter impeccably. I felt so immersed in the universe Lanthimos created with a Victorian England aesthetic. As you said it yourself, the film talks about ideas and concepts that society just preaches, movies like those that preach have no substantial value or devices to make the viewer feel strongly about feminist ideas. It almost ridicules feminist ideals, tarnishing the overall message and blurring it from existence. Watching this film made me feel so heard and as though I am not the only one that feels this away about topics such as sexuality, gender roles and society in general. We have come such a long way and as a woman, watching this film with such passion made me feel satisfied. The costumes, the lighting, the directing/lines, characters. They all play a purpose in the film, not wasting away in the background. I appreciate how it explores sexuality in a way that is not demonized; this is life, and it’s portrayed raw quite literally. We are human and are said to be burdened with consciousness but that same consciousness is what gives us so much life and capability in creating a better life for ourselves and thereafter. (As we see in the conclusion of the film) I’m relieved to have had this conversation through an impactful journey. DEFINITELY re-watching this film soon! 10/10. Thanks for the video!
16:09 the only gripe/issue I had during the movie was the abrupt shift in Bella's attitude towards violence & death. Every other interaction she had leading up to that scene where she's exposed to the horrors of the slums gave off the impression that she had zero qualms or cares for the physical well-being of others (stabbing corpses in the morgue, squished frog)
I think at that point she’s matured a lot more, and she’s able to see how messed up it is. It made sense to me.
ADAM!!!!!!!!! so glad you loved it as much as I did. my favorite movie of 2023 by FAR
Hang on. Child in an adult body. That is pretty much Predo,
Pov: message flew over your head
This movie has honestly made me passionate about studying film again
My review after seeing the film:
Emma Stone with an incredible performance - character growth in movement
Iconic soundtrack paired with grotesque visuals
Yorgos Lanthimos takes all the elements from his previous films and adds them into this twee steampunk world where it all blends into a meticulously stylized and concise film. Some parts were a bit on the nose, but other than that a big achievment in modern cinema!
Even half way through I wasn’t sure I’d like the movie. It was a little too long but I ended up loving it. I love movies that aren’t immediately forgettable.
Not every day a YMS video is titled 'Incredible' and is not sarcastic.
Yeah I saw this a couple of days ago. Really, super good film - challenging but satisfying, as you say. Some really interesting themes that (as someone who doesn't watch a lot of films) I don't see tackled too often. Very glad I took the time to go see it.
This film is about as "feminist" as the game "Detroit Become Human" is "anti-racist." The "man = controlling" and "sex = empowering" have been passed around as shallow "feminist" messaging for decades, and the "childlike girl-woman who becomes an adult/empowered by having lots of sexy sex" is also getting pretty old as a trope, honestly. I know it was a novel first, and the criticism is the same for the novel. The visuals, costuming, music, acting, and humor are what make this movie great.
The core concept is grating. I wish that the director had chosen a different book to base a film on.
very well said. if it weren't for the fake feminism, pedophilia tropes, and porn this movie would have been pretty decent. it was at least funny and had nice costumes. could have done without the AI skies.
@@rahtsnake144 Disagree with you calling the sex scenes porn. They're supposed to be uncomfortable and challenge the audience. It shows how some men like to control women and actually prefer if they have the mentality of a child. It's not porn.
Hearing Adum passionately give praise and deconstruct the reasons why unclogs my arteries.
I've been watching this channel for so long that when I saw the video title, I was convinced YMS was being sarcastic.
Got lucky enough to watch this a film festival (Camerimage, after queueing for 4 hours).
It was really great to watch this with an audience that's so eager to enjoy it, especially as the movie is unique enough that it took some time to figure out what it was even going for.
When the movie clicked I had a great time with it.
I rarely diverge from Adam’s ranking by a lot, but I hated this movie. Everything I’ve read in reviews it’s supposedly trying to accomplish was better done by Barbie and/or Pinnochio. Seemed like an excuse to get Emma stone to play a child and have loads of really uncomfortable sex. Visually gorgeous film, absolutely disgusting and uncomfortable and just wouldn’t end
Thank you for this video! It was so cathartic, as Poor Things was my favorite movie of 2023 and many of my friends with whom I talk about movies most often really didn't like it, so my brain was telling me like "nooooo you need to shut up about it", despite having seen it three times and loved it more each time.
I liked this film! This comment bears no significant weight or criticality, I just wanted to let others know I enjoyed this film. Also the score too was my favorite part, so I’m basically God for predicting Adum’s brain
Signing up to Cameo to have Adum give my grandma the finger is an excellent investment.
I love how the music is very simple in the beginning and it gets more complex by the end
I'm surprised he liked it that much. I thought it was alright, but I felt like the ending contradicted a lot of the proposed themes of personal autonomy and the girl's stance on medical ethics and consent, and I personally found the camera work to be disorienting in a negative way. Also my wife said the book was better for what that's worth.
the ending felt pretty tacked on to me
I kept begging my friends to see this while it was in theaters. It was sensational both visually and audially
What about the script?
When a movie is a 10/10 is a great feeling that seldom compares to anything else 👍 thank you for the video Adum and have a great day
I had to drive an hour to go to a theater that was playing it and i loved it so much i went back the next day to see it again with a buddy.
I’m actually one of those people who strongly disliked Killing of a Sacred Deer-and yet, this is one of my favorite movies of the year. Highly, highly recommend
Same. Im honestly surprised Adam likes it. I felt it was so idiotic. It came off as trying to be super deep and all I can think about is the Monolog Colin Farrell gives about jerking his dad off and how hilarious he looked spinning around blind folded about to shoot one of his kids. It was very fake deep in my opinion
Boy i really love famed director yorgos lanthimos’s latest masterpiece “Barbie and the Dreamhouse of Dr. Caligari”
Mark ruffallo really stole the show! Fucking slayed me
I love the way he says "oeow" after Bella slaps him. He absolutely kills the exaggerated Victorian RP accent
I was blown away by it the first time and knew it was going to be quite a while before I see another movie as perfect as this one so I was lucky enough to get to see it 3 times in the theatre. Might be one of my favs all time
I have never disagreed so vehemently with a review of yours. I didn't think this was a bad movie but so pretentious and ultimately a waste of time. I dunno, for me it made me honestly uncomfortable how sexual he chose to make Bella's character when she's supposed to have the mind of a child, and it didn't feel like the movie was aware of how disturbing this aspect of the story is. For me, I could not disagree more that this movie's handling of the sexual element was meaningful or purposeful, and it did indeed seem pornographic/ perverted. I did not walk away from this movie feeling like the film is "feminist" or "exploring feminist concepts" and felt much more strongly that the director is a pervert. On top of that, the moments where you mentioned they want to engage with feminist concepts, those did feel very preachy and shoehorned in as a defense for the perverted aspects. I think your viewing of a worse movie primed you to like Poor Things more than someone who is walking in with a blank slate.
Not saying my experience should ruin anyone else's, and I agree that everyone should see it and come to their own conclusions, but wanted to just voice that I had a starkly different experience watching. Even though I disagreed with your overall assessment, I thought your communication of points was great as always and enjoyed hearing your thoughts! Your appreciation of the music was especially infectious, and I did find myself thinking "oh yea, the music was very cool". So, while I felt you missed the mark with your conclusion, keep up the great concept!
You read my mind.
yeah i agree with the character thing
Completely agree with your comment. It kind of annoyed me that Bella Baxter’s hair grows extremely fast but her underarms and legs remain conveniently hairless. Plus, I know they weren’t shooting for realism -but adult women’s bodies tend to become pregnant when they have regular unprotected intercourse with men. As a girlie myself, I just feel that you can’t meaningfully explore female sexuality if the fear of pregnancy is mysteriously absent.
@@marad786 god yeah even as a dude i was like "wait how isn't she getting pregnant"
@@marad786Nobody said it in the movie but the fact that she didn't have any period or got pregnant or anything of the sort made me think that the doctor removed her ovaries when he performed the surgery. That would def give her hormonal issues but considering the movie is far from realistic as far as medicine goes it's whatever.
Yorgos is just growing on me. I'm on the fence on Lobster and Sacred Deer but I get what they're doing as films and I love the premises. And Favourite is just a really good and accessible film from him.
Still waiting to see this but I have high hopes. Also I'm amazed at how much I've grown to like Emma Stone between her work with him and especially that recent show The Curse she did with Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. The kind of wild swings I like to see actors take. The reason Robert Pattinson is such a highly regarded actor, basically. Exploring their boundaries and new frontiers as performers.
I saw it in a theater with a handful of other people and we were giggling half the time and shocked/silent for the whole movie. It was amazing
For sure a movie where the audience reactions enhances the experience
Easily my favorite of the year and possibly an all-timer.
Saw it cinema yesterday, LOVE his other movies. Hated this.
I have absolutely no idea how this movie is being talked about like it's somehow even remotely on the same level as the rest of lanthimos' filmography. It's merely ok. It completely loses any momentum or depth halfway through, becomes completely superficial and preachy in every idea it brings in, the actual character development or interesting character dynamics just yeet themselves off a cliff by the time we get to paris. Most interesting possibilities for characters just vanish, like willem defoe and the maccandles character who literally just tread water for half the runtime. The comedic parts and the coming of age part were good and meaningful because it actually involved genuine discovery and comedic and absurd in a meaningful way that made sense for Bella's perspective. The later half though? Just bleah. The latest section is genuinely infuriating. It's just the movie bringing things up and telling them to the audience without them amounting to anything. Oh poor people are a thing, will that amount to much? Nope. Oh you can sell sex for money? Will that change bella's view of sex or what people have to do to survive? Nope. Will having to work in a brothel in voctorian times expose her and have her make come to grips with any sort of dark reality of any kind? Nope. Will her discovery of her past create any lingering issue with her father? Make her wrestle with the idea of what it means to come to life in a way you don't accept? Nope. Will her discovery that she was a horrible person in her previous life change her outlook or make her discover anything about herself at all? Nope. Will her willingness to put herself in the hands of a maniac who thinks he owns her in the attempt to understand where she comes from lead to any real danger or any harsh realization of any kind? Nope. She just waltzes in and waltzes right out. Will her having grown up throughout maybe lead to some kind of evolution in her dynamic with mccandles? Nope, he's basically a prop character so the movie can end with her having a cuck husband. The ending was so genuinely unearned, one dimensional and tacked on that I was actively irritated by it. It's genuinely baffling for me to see this as even remotely in the same league as the favourite which was amazing, especially the ending. And yes, it was preachy, and more than that, it was scared as fuck of treating any actually dark or mature topic i any other way other than Bella walking in and telling how it is and then walking out without any actual development or discovery whatsoever. It was good in the lighearted sections, and then it failed miserably when it wanted to bring up anything heavy because we can't have any real consequences for the main character. At one point bella says that she's becoming hardened and cynical and I felt like scratching my head because she literally had nothing happen to or around her that even remotely suggested this. I can only assume that the movie couldn't possibly suggest there is anything bad about being a prostitute so it'll just have the character say what her development is supposed to be out loud instead. Same thing for every scene that follows. Fucking barbie had more genuine emotional complexity for its ending than this does. I wanted to love this movie, but damn is it disappointing. This doesn't reach high enough to scratch the favourite's knee. It might be more accessible, but ultimtely it's just more palatable and clean and convenient. If you told me lanthimos was gonna make an oscar bait movie this is pretty close to what I'd have envisioned. I would have called you crazy though
The second I heard "skies" I knew Jon was getting shown lol
idk if I can get past that concept 💀
But you CAN give Marvel money for kiddie ass multiverses, right?
The one and only thing that didnt quite land for me was the relationship between Bella and her fiance, later in the film. I just had to assume they had more time together that we were not privy to, or that she saw him as the first "good guy", or that she wanted the experience of getting married. Or a combination of those things. Either way, I which we got one or two scenes more between them.
This is alluded to in the first act where God explains they have chemistry and there's a bit of a montage to indicate passing of time.
The style/look of this film reminds me of "What Dreams May Come."
I love movies such as this one because I know that if I'm to fully enjoy it I must turn off all logic circuits in my mind. 😀
One of the few times I've completely disagreed with Adum. I felt disgusted at how the film is basically exploitation media because a mentally disabled woman who cannot properly consent to her experiences as she doesn't have the faculties to properly understand is continually taken advantage of by men. The whole thing is an extended sexual assault. Her brutalisation as a prostitute at the hands of male clients is framed as somehow empowering. A male author and a male director is trying to explain that having sex with a woman who has the brain of a child is perfectly fine because it's feminist and progressive, right?
you’re missing the whole point of that. it’s a criticism of the fact that the traditional idea of a “perfect” woman for a man is basically a child. the men around her start liking her less and less and she becomes less of a literal child. also, it serves to have a full grown woman who has not experienced any of the social conditioning that all women experience, so she just says things as they are; “you want to marry me or kill me”, etc.
Precisely my take on this. It’s glorification of sex as something that „empowers“ women if they only have enough of it. Yikes.
She is basically disabled and can’t really consent, but of course being screwed in a brothel „sets you free“ 🤮
They tell us again that sex is something that empowers you at times where that message needs to be toned down, as we all are already able to sleep around as we please. It’s not the 60ies anymore!
Instead the same people that find this crap progressive enrage themselves when the next Disney princess gets a true LOVEs kiss „without consent“.
This movie has nothing to do with female empowerment, it’s the perverted fantasies of that director shown in a movie.
Who said it’s perfectly fine to have sex with her?
@@etalex7074I get your point but that was lost on me when the sex scenes in this film chose to be very porny, and clearly filmed in a way that was for the pleasure of the audience to be honest. The crazy amounts of sex scenes, with the focus being on her “o face” which still had that look that she had at the beginning of the film where she was clearly trying to portray a young “thoughtless” child, and the lack of exploration into female sexuality and the different aspects that women have to think about made this film come across as genuine porn and lacked that “feminist” commentary for me.
I like to think that the cinematography takes an fantasy approach at the beggining and slowly descends back to reality as Bella learns about the world and society.
It's fantasy is to represent Bella's pure and infatile mind.
Wonderful movie. Hope they get at least two Oscar