Yorgos Lanthimos has created a film that may draw on its distant ancestry the tale of Frankenstein. There is the doctor and his reanimated creation, from that point on they have little in common. In the intervening 92 years since the original dramatic film, many have had a crack at this story. But nothing compares to this latest iteration, peppered as is with several truly hilarious scenes. The doctor, Godwin Baxter expertly played by a scarred up Willem Dafoe and his creation, Bella Baxter in a bravura performance by Emma Stone who really carries the entire film on her daunting shoulders, her trust in the director evident in her performance.
Her name rivaled only Daisy Domergue (Hateful 8)
It’s the tale of her emancipation through a bewildering world she has little understanding of and has through her rapid development has to learn the ropes VERY fast in order to survive. Surrounded by conniving opportunists, in particular a wealthy lawyer Duncan Wedderburn played by Mark Ruffalo who initially enamored with Bella tires of her unpredictable rebellious ways. When she predictably leaves, his life collapses. Bella immune to human emotional frailties soldiers on to her next adventure, hardly aware of his absence. There are other passing dalliances, a stint as a prostitute in Paris run by a kindly empathetic madame, which have little impact on Bella’s adventures, absorbing her experiences into the file of her consciousness. The only relationship she seems to respond to is that of her creator, who she calls god and towards the end of the film after all of her experiences she returns to his dying bedside. The sets dozens of them each more jaw droppingly ornate and fantastical in their detail come at you faster than your brain can process the images. Same with his use of lenses, what used to be called fisheye wide angle, each shot style different and yet related to the last. The eerie unique soundtrack adding to the sensory overload. I got the sense that this director got his vision onto the screen pretty much in tact with not much interference from the producers (unlikely) or regard for what the audience might think of his visual style or presentation. 633 stars
