Poor Things (2023)

Film and Plot Synopsis

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma 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. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

‘Poor Things’ Movie Summary

In an alternate universe Victorian London, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) is a promising medical student who agrees to become the assistant to an eccentric, but gifted, surgeon named Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Godwin tasks Max with observing and documenting the physical and mental progress of Godwin’s ward, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a childlike young woman who has many bizarre behaviors. Godwin explains to Max that Bella was originally a pregnant woman named Victoria who threw herself off a bridge and died. Godwin discovered the body and decided to conduct an experiment that replaced Victoria’s brain with that of her unborn fetus, giving the infant Bella an adult’s body.

Max begins his observations and notes considerable progress in Bella in a brief period of time. Max begins to find himself attracted to Bella and eventually falls in love with her. Godwin supports the idea of a marital union between Max and Bella, so Max asks to marry Bella. Bella accepts the proposal, but not long afterwards, Bella becomes overwhelmingly curious about the outside world and herself. Bella discovers masturbation and begins to pleasure herself repeatedly without any concern for location or company. Bella becomes obsessed with constant sexual pleasure, although Max refuses to make their relationship physical until after they are married.

Not long after, Godwin engages the services of a debauched lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to help with a premarital agreement for Bella and Max. Duncan encounters Bella and becomes fascinated with her. Duncan sneaks into the house one night and asks Bella to run away with him to explore the world. Bella informs Godwin of her desire to see more of the world, and Godwin reluctantly lets her go. Bella chloroforms Max to make her escape from the house. Not long after, Godwin attempts to duplicate his experiment with Bella on another young woman whom he names Felicity (Margaret Qualley). The experiment does not progress as efficiently with Felicity as she matures much more slowly than Bella.

At the same time, Bella and Duncan begin traveling the world while engaging in vigorous sexual activity. Their first stop is Lisbon. Bella is curious about the world and frequently separates from Duncan to observe her environment. Bella’s naivety occasionally gets her into trouble and often gets her into arguments with Duncan. Duncan becomes frustrated with his inability to control Bella and finds himself in the odd position of being dominated by a woman that he has fallen in love with. Duncan tries to regain control by placing her in a steamer trunk and smuggling her onto a cruise ship, which limits Bella’s ability to run off. However, Bella almost immediately befriends fellow passengers Martha von Kurtzroc (Hanna Schygulla) and Harry Astley (Jerrod Carmichael), who introduce her to the subject of philosophy. Bella’s relationship with the pair further frustrates Duncan who begins to seek solace in drinking and gambling.

During a stop at Alexandria, Harry shows Bella the suffering of the poor. Bella becomes distraught at the concept of those without. Bella takes Duncan’s money with the intent to give it to the poor. However, she is swindled by some unscrupulous members of the ship’s crew who falsely promise to deliver the money to the needy for her. Duncan is furious at Bella as he has no way to pay for anything on the ship any longer. Bella and Duncan are kicked off the ship at Marseille and eventually make their way to Paris.

This is Martha. She is my new friend who has not been fucked in twenty years! Is that not astonishment? I hope you use your hand between your legs to keep yourself happy? Bella Baxter (Emma Stone)

Without money or a place to stay, Bella begins working at a brothel as it provides her with a place to rest and to satisfy her voracious sexual appetite. When she informs Duncan of her new occupation, he once again becomes furious and has a breakdown on the streets of Paris. Bella decides to abandon Duncan and becomes a full-time prostitute. She quickly learns that not every customer brings her gratification, but she works to improve the situation as much as she can. At the brothel, Bella comes under the tutelage of Madame Swiney (Kathryn Hunter) who teaches her about using her womanhood to control men. She also befriends another prostitute, Toinette (Suzy Bemba), who becomes her lover and introduces her to the concept of socialism.

Back in London, Godwin becomes terminally ill and asks Max to find Bella and bring her home to him. Max finds Bella after he locates Duncan in a mental institution. A now worldly Bella returns home and reconciles with Godwin. She also renews her plans to marry Max. The wedding ceremony is interrupted when Duncan arrives and brings the deceased Victoria’s husband, General Alfie Blessington (Christopher Abbott). Alfie believes Bella is his wife and asks her to come home with him. Surprisingly, Bella is curious about her past life and agrees to the request, leaving Max at the altar.

However, once Bella is in Alfie’s home, she discovers that he has a violent and sadistic nature. She concludes that Victoria killed herself and her unborn child to escape the mental hell of living with Alfie. Alfie locks Bella into his mansion and prevents her from having contact with the outside world. He threatens her at gunpoint to submit to genital mutilation and tries to force her to drink a chloroform sedative. Bella throws the fluid into Alfie’s face, causing him to become disoriented. Alfie shoots himself in the foot and then passes out. Bella is finally able to leave the mansion.

Bella returns to Godwin’s mansion. She and Max sit by Godwin’s bed as he dies peacefully. Bella decides to continue Godwin’s work by also becoming a surgeon with the help of Max and Toinette. Bella, Toinette, Max, and Felicity live happily together in the mansion. Bella keeps Alfie as one of her pets after she transplants a goat’s brain into his head.