If you haven’t seen Poor Things yet, now is the time to catch up on Emma Stone’s Oscar-winning performance as the inquisitive, yet utterly chaotic Bella Baxter. On Sunday night, Stone took home the Best Actress trophy for her work in the film. Meanwhile, Poor Things was also awarded Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, as well as Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
During Stone’s acceptance speech, she thanked everyone who brought the movie to life. “I am so deeply honored to share this with every cast member, with every crew member, with every single person who poured their love and their care and their brilliance into the making of this film,” she said.
Poor Things follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a resurrected science-experiment-turned-globetrotter—which is a bit of a play on Frankenstein. Back in January, Stone's performance won her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. During her acceptance speech, Stone explained how working with Lanthimos changed her life. "Playing Bella was unbelievable," Stone said. "I see this as a rom-com, but in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself rather than a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that made me look at life differently. That all of it counts and all of it is important. She has stayed with me deeply. So, this means the world to me." Poor Things also took home hardware for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
The film inspired not only Stone but also critics. Poor Things topped a slew of best-of lists in 2023. Why wouldn't it? I mean, have you ever wanted to see Willem Dafoe as a mad scientist with godlike abilities? Wish granted! Plus, it has a strange, melodic soundtrack, a journey around the world, and sumptuous period costumes. If you want to know a little bit more about Poor Things—it's a trip! —the film is based on Alasdair Gray's novel of the same name.
Poor Things is now available on Hulu, but you can also buy the film on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. The choice is yours—in the spirit of Bella Baxter, just remember to dive into the story with an open mind.
