Movie review: ‘Poor Things’ filmed in poor taste?

The film “Poor Things” recently won four Oscar Academy Awards and has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes along with many other critic sites holding the film in high regards. 

This movie review will contain many spoilers of “Poor Things” as opinions are shared and scenes are explained. A trigger warning is also needed as there is talk of sexual abuse. 

The story begins with Bella Baxter — played by Emma Stone — stumbling through a large mansion owned by her father figure, Godwin, played by Willem Dafoe. 

As the story progresses the audience is soon met with the unveiling of a Frankenstein-ian brain transplant. 

Godwin tells the story of how Bella is technically her own child. Godwin had found the recently deceased body of Bella in a river and discovered she was pregnant. 

Godwin proceeds to reveal that he had transplanted the newborn baby’s brain into the body of the fully grown deceased mother. 

You begin to understand that the brain transplant is the reason Bella acts so childlike in her mannerisms such as soiling her pants, stumbling through the halls and speaking in the third person.

The idea of the movie is very unique and has intrigued many of those who watch the film. Those who stick around to find out what happens to Bella will find all that seems to be on this young-minded individual's brain is sex in the first half of the movie.

This is where I develop the idea that many scenes in the film are written in poor taste. The film is labeled “comedy/sci-fi” but feels like a horror film when children are constantly involved with intense sexual themes.

Bella seems to progress to the mental age of two to 22 while consistently having relations with various men who take advantage of her mental age, impulsivity and naivety. 

Oddly enough, most sexual scenes happen when Bella is clearly still a child mentally and the film is on the cusp of being considered pornography. This is disturbing and does not feel appropriate for any film. 

Why couldn’t the sex scenes where Bella is still a child either be shown with much less full-frontal nudity and sexual acts or simply be implied? 

Why must another movie — where women are once again victims — be constantly sexualized not only by the obsessive people in Bella’s life, but possibly those who watch the film itself?

I will assume many of these scenes, unfortunately those that involve children as well, will be found on inappropriate websites for inappropriate purposes.

Watching the first hour of the film feels like yet another movie where everyone can “finally” see the fully naked body of an A-list celebrity; all while her newborn-infant-brain steers the infantilized body which somehow only thinks sexual thoughts. The beauty of the production attempts to convince the audience of the “artistic” nature of the film even though many scenes border on pedophilia.

After Bella endures and experiences the good and bad of life as a child, she grows into an adult-minded woman who exercises her free will by engaging in prostitution.

I have no issue with the choice of a grown woman to become a prostitute and I do not agree with the men in Bella’s life who view prostitution as “the worst thing a woman can do.”

I also have no issue with disturbing premises of real-world events that unfortunately take place every day. I am also not naive to the fact that this abuse is addressed in various films — with “Poor Things” attempting to do the same.

I do, however, have an issue with Bella when she accepts a proposition to “teach children” with a customer who is a father. The scene plays for an uncomfortable amount of time while your gut twists at the sight of something so disturbing with nothing to address the immense sexual abuse the children suffered while watching Bella have sex with their father.

I also have an issue with the fact that there seems to be less sex scenes and nudity with Bella as a prostitute than when she is innocently asking for “furious jumping.”

My major issue is with the possible perpetuation this film may have in the abuse of children. Scenes involving children in “Poor Things” may display the “more cruel side of humanity” as the directors would state. 

Part of me feels the directors must have realized the hypocrisy of the film in its attempt to describe the horrors of sexual childhood abuse where — in turn — the film itself could be used as something to “entertain” people who may watch scenes involving children with ill intent; which is why I believe “Poor Things” was filmed in poor taste. 

I actually enjoy the entire premise of the movie and Bella’s discovery of self. I love the premise of the movie so much I wish I could cut out the parts that are disgusting — like an expensive moldy cheese that would be disappointing to completely throw away.