With 11 nominations, Poor Things seemed destined for stardom at this year's Academy Awards ceremony on March 10. But is the tide shifting in terms of how people are reacting to Bella Baxter, the film's lead character?
It was clear that Poor Things was going to have a big awards season push when it won the Venice Film Festival's greatest prize, the Golden Lion, but even the film's biggest supporter couldn't have imagined just how many accolades the actors and crew would go on to receive.
In addition to its Golden Lion win, the film won the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and is nominated for Best Picture at this year's Oscars.
Film star, Emma Stone won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at this year's BAFTAs, Best Actress award at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy award at the Golden Globes, among several other honors. Stone is also nominated for Best Actress at this year's Oscars.
But as more and more people get interested in the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed picture due to its numerous Oscar nominations, reviewers and fans are beginning to take a less favorable view of it.
For example, Bella Baxter is for all intents and purposes, a child when she is revived as a Frankenstein-like creature. However, it isn't long before she becomes sexually promiscuous and begins earning a living as a prostitute.
The film definitely has some raunchy scenes as Bella undergoes a sexual awakening and the general audience is asking if that's appropriate, given Bella's child-like nature.
Speaking on this controversy, Stone stated, "If it helps, as the person who played it and produced it, I didn't see her as a child in any of those scenes."
Lanthimos went on to add, "But even that's too literal. If you take a film that literally, where you start discussing it in terms of the brain of a child, then you're kind of missing the point of storytelling in general. If you start to analyze the film as something that would actually happen, then of course the film doesn't work."
Stone closed out her argument by stating that she's enjoying the more mixed response to the film.
"My mom has this saying that at the start of a relationship you say, 'Oh we're so in love we finish each other's sentences.' And then, as time goes by, it becomes, 'You're always interrupting me.' "
"That can happen in a relationship with film, too, especially a film like this, that's asking more questions than giving answers. I know people who've seen the film and think it's just the sweetest romantic comedy, and others who had to watch it through their fingers. And that's great."
The Oscars take place on March 10. Poor Things has secured 11 nominations including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Best Adapted Screenplay and more.
Poor Things Official Synopsis: From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (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.