Poor Things arrived in theaters over the weekend, and while Yorgos Lanthimos' acclaimed adaptation of Alasdair Gray's surreal novel makes some changes to the original story, one key aspect of Bella Baxter's (Emma Stone) character remains the same.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, major spoilers follow.
We find out early on that Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) "resurrected" Bella in a Frankenstein-style procedure, but it's later revealed that the woman whose body he found for his experiment was pregnant when she took her own life, and "God" actually brought her back with the brain of her unborn child.
This twist has stirred up some controversy, since Bella begins to explore her sexuality shortly after leaving Godwin's care, and it seems clear that her mind hasn't (or has only just) fully developed when she begins to sleep with multiple partners (while also embarking on a career as a prostitute).
The book also received backlash, with some going so far as to accuse Gray of "making excuses for paedophilia." That seems like somewhat of an extreme read on the material, but even so, it's not exactly surprising that the subject matter has raised a few eyebrows.
How do you feel about this plot point? Do you agree with the criticisms, or do you have a different point of view? Drop us a comment down below, and check out a new clip from the movie.
Here's what Lanthimos had to say about the film's graphic sex/nudity and Stone's commitment to filming the scenes in a recent interview.
“It’s a shame that Emma could not be here to speak more about it, because it will be coming all from me,” he said. “First of all, sex is an intrinsic part of the novel itself, her freedom about everything including sexuality. Secondly, it was very important for me to not make a film that would be prudish, because that would be like completely betraying the main character."
“We had to be confident Emma had to have no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes and she understood that right away,” he added.
"From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation."
The movie has been rated R for “Strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore, and language."