If you want a quick spoiler for “Poor Things,” the 2024 Oscar Best Picture Nominee, here it is: it’s about a young woman with an infant’s brain who’s obsessed with sex. Sure, it’s fiction, but men have always glamorised female infantilisation and prostitution in stories. It’s about time we changed that and explored something beyond the tired trope of a middle-aged man’s fantasy about nymphomania.
Poor Things, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and based on Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, is about Bella Baxter, played by Emma Stone. When Bella, who is pregnant, commits suicide, an orthodox scientist named Godwin Baxter (played by William Dafoe) resurrects her. For her revival, Bella’s brain is swapped with that of her unborn child. It is just one of the many unsettling aspects of the movie. Simply put, Bella Baxter turns into a child trapped in an adult woman’s body.
Bella’s brain rapidly ages, sparking a growing curiosity about the world beyond her confinement. This newfound curiosity drives her to break free from the four walls she had been boxed in. However, the movie portrays Bella’s intellectual awakening mainly in terms of her understanding of sexuality. Doesn’t this deliberately sexualise women? Doesn’t it suggest that sex is the core of women’s empowerment?
The infantilisation and sexualisation of women in Poor Things
After Bella’s sexual awakening, she falls for Duncan Wedderburn, a womanising lawyer played by Mark Ruffalo. Bella chooses to run away and explore the world with Duncan’s assistance. That is because her guardian, eccentric scientist Godwin, refuses to let her leave his house. While it might seem like a story of resistance as Bella seeks freedom from the sadistic science experiments of Godwin, a closer look shows how Bella is shown as a sexual object to fulfil the pedophilic fantasies of men. The following few scenes in the film were all about Duncan exploiting her childlike naiveté for his sexual gratification.
The sheer amount of sex between Duncan, who is an adult with a mature mind, and Bella is disturbing and creates extreme discomfort. Bella doesn’t fully understand what’s happening because she hasn’t become an adult yet. It makes the issue of consent a significant concern throughout the film. They overlook the fact that Bella has the mind of a toddler, walks like one, and wears dresses with puffed-up sleeves and frills like a child.
As a child, or rather, with a child’s mind portrayed in the movie, Bella lacks the understanding of consent. While some celebrate the film as a feminist journey of self-discovery, every step of Bella’s journey is actually controlled mostly by men at every turn.
Poor Things: Rape culture and lack of bodily autonomy
Godwin disregards Bella’s decision to end her own life and takes control of her body for his experiments, which is a complete violation of her bodily autonomy. When Bella throws a temper tantrum about wanting to leave, he suffocates her until she passes out. Instead of condemning him for his actions, the movie tries to make you forgive him by revealing his tragic backstory and showing Bella’s unwavering love for him.
In one scene, Duncan convinces Bella to travel the world with him by sexually touching her. Bella, with her newfound exploration of sexuality, finds it an offer to experience what she has never had before. But isn’t this more or less a form of sexual assault? Bella doesn’t realise that this is molestation because, well, she has the mind of a child. The forced reliance on men promotes a dangerous message that encourages rape culture.
As Bella leaves Duncan, she gets a job at a brothel. She learns about sex work and feels independent, not relying on Duncan for money anymore. Initially, it seems like progress, but she ends up in an exploitative relationship with her boss, moving from one form of control to another.
Following her period as a sex worker, she ultimately chooses the patriarchal age-old tradition of marriage. However, Bella soon realises that her husband views her as his property and expects her to be an obedient wife, which she refuses to do. So, at least the movie accurately portrays the patriarchal views of marriage as a form of ownership, even though it failed to represent sex and autonomy properly in the first half.
The final thoughts
Poor Things tried to explore feminine empowerment but missed the mark. Despite Bella’s story indicating women are often infantilised and sexualised, the film appeared to ridicule modern sex-positivity. It came across as a flawed male take on feminism, with Bella’s self-discovery journey influenced by a male perspective on female sexuality. Nonetheless, Emma Stone excelled as Bella Baxter. She delivered a powerful and realistic performance, earning her a second Oscar for Best Actress.
Visually and technically, “Poor Things” was outstanding. We do appreciate the vibrant colours, captivating music, and impressive costumes. However, the movie’s excessive use of sex scenes and its exploitative disregard for consent are problematic and will remain so.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content, which we define broadly to include media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
