Poor Things

James and I went to the cinema this evening to see Poor Things which is based on the book of the same name by Alasdair Gray. Oh my goodness, what a bizarre, disturbing but I think memorable film. Emma Stone has already won lots of awards for her role as Bella in it, and I think that she certainly deserves to get the Oscar for Best Actress. Mark Ruffalo is also outstanding as Duncan; he is a fine comic actor. When I see a film I usually don’t feel the need to read the book upon which it is based, however this time I do want to read the book. This is partly because I’m a fan of Alasdair Gray, and also because I have read that the socialist and feminist message has been “toned down” in the film, so I will be interested to read the original. The book was set in 19th century Scotland whereas the film was set in a fantasy steampunk version of London and Europe so that will be interesting to compare too. For me the most memorable scene was not one of the many (too many?) sex scenes, nor the amazing retro-futuristic Lisbon which Bella and Duncan visit, nor God(win)’s strange home and laboratory with its dreadful amalgamation animals. The most memorable and joyful scene for me was when Bella starts dancing awkwardly but delightfully to the music at a dance in Lisbon, joined bizarrely and hilariously by Duncan.