IN poor creatures, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is an unusual woman. Not only because of the mystery of what caused the huge scar that remained on the back of his head and back. And what could this mean? At the same time, because he enjoys life wildly, naively and sensually. All at once and in a riotous whirlwind that surprises wherever he goes. However, the most striking thing about the character is that the mystery of his very existence remember human limits, the power of science, and the limits of what we consider life.
Given this premise, it is not surprising that poor creaturesThe film, directed by Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, became an awards season sensation. At the same time, it is one example of how science fiction can become a valuable interlocutor for all types of social and cultural commentary. The director’s work, based on Alasdair Gray’s book of the same name, examines moral hypocrisy, time and the will to live. All through a supposed monster that actually has more complex origins than a science laboratory. The adaptation turns the center of the story into a series of questions about life, death and their limits. On the other hand, the way we understand central freedom and a sense of purpose.
None of the themes are new to the genre. We leave you with a list of five films that Poor Creatures pays homage to, directly or indirectly. At the same time, the plot sums up many of the concerns of current films about the mystery of human origins, consciousness and personality. The element of greatest interest in a dispute full of them.
Frankenstein by James Whale
One of the most obvious references in the feature film, as well as in the source book. poor creatures— refers to the work of Mary Shelley. But for this occasion, Yorgos Lanthimos took the tone and rhythm of the version released in 1931. Not only in its aesthetic (Bella’s creation is a giant homage to several scenes), but also in his way of conceiving the creature. According to director James Whale, life created in a laboratory is both unique and the fruit of human ambition.
But Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) is also a combination of the director’s monster and the literary Victor Frankenstein. The character is convinced that his duty is to create life. Moreover, to do this in the laboratory and as part of a person’s creative experience. His great goal is that his monster—and it is not much—become an example of how much and how a man can learn when free from his tethers. A theme that Whale’s film thoroughly explores and which is, in fact, one of the plot’s most memorable twists.
The Phantom of the Opera by Arthur Lubin
It’s not a science fiction work per se, but the 1943 adaptation does use elements of one to tell the miserable life of Eric/the Phantom (Claude Rains). The version focuses more on how the grim protagonist survived the horrific facial injuries associated with the creation of the mechanical mask. On the other hand, how did this long healing process help him understand the value of art.
In the work of Yorgos Lanthimos Godwin Baxter (Dafoe) is obsessed with science’s ability to heal. But at the same time, the way this force analyzes the will of man imposes itself on the natural order. The story, adapted by Tony McNamara, deals with the same issues as the novel. Namely: that imagination and human reason, They are much wider than the boundaries that morality presupposes. An idea that science fiction has taken to its extremes.
Dracula Francis Ford Coppola
Again, this is not the film itself, but the current director’s version of the plot, which is much more interesting. In his adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, Coppola delved into the divide between science and the supernatural.
An issue that is explored in fiction through the use of various mechanical writing and recording tools that allow characters to tell their story. From the dictaphone, typewriter to recording on gramophone records. The truth is that the 1992 feature film reflected Better than any other adaptation is the vampire-fighting group’s journey through the technological advancements of the time.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ film does the same, devoting time and interest to showing science as a point of view that illuminates – in many ways – Bella. Also, in what sense is her life a miracle that turns her into a monster. And all this in a production that, like Coppola’s film, He used mechanical devices to express his ideas.
The Legend of the Headless Horseman by Tim Burton
Isn’t this science fiction? Think again. In this Tim Burton version of Washington Irving’s classic tale, Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is a scientist. Moreover, one that displays and uses all sorts of mechanical resources to try to detect the creature haunting the residents of the town of Sleepy Hollow. It’s when the film moves away from its original horror show all the scientific ideas that Depp’s character uses to confront the supernatural.
From basic dissection tools to ways to measure oxygen density. There is nothing missing from this use of resources that would further lead to the conclusion that the supernatural is a quantifiable phenomenon. The same thing that Yorgos Lanthimos’ film ponders in several of its best scenes. Of course, another obvious reference is the collection of scientific elements that Godwin uses to bring his creature to life. A tribute to Burton’s staging of his story.
Alex Garland’s former car
A more recent but obvious reference is artificially created life trying to find its own purpose, as in poor creatures. A point that director and screenwriter Alex Garland touches on gracefully and darkly in his film. Former car. Yorgos Lanthimos returns to the same ideas and reflects on what makes us who we are. In particular, life as a series of concepts that completely elude empirical or direct explanation.
Both Tony McNamaran and the director treat Bella’s existence as a child prodigy. But at the same time, as a rarity that needs to be analyzed from all points of view. In a way, Bella is (or maybe is) a prisoner of her father and creator. A topic that Alex Garland touched on through his fascinating artificial intelligence model with the face of Alicia Vikander.
Source: Hiper Textual
