POOR THINGS opens December 8
Over the course of the past decade or so, Yorgos Lanthimos has established himself as one of the most inventive and unique filmmakers on the planet with movies like THE FAVOURITE, THE LOBSTER, DOGTOOTH, and several others of note. And before the year is through, the Academy Award®-nominated director will welcome audiences into the world of POOR THINGS.
The latest addition to the list of AMC Artisan Films that are led by strong female performances, the star-studded surrealist black comedy looks to be an experience like no other, which, oddly enough, is to be expected from the man behind several of the most peculiar films of the 21st century. But before checking out POOR THINGS – which reunited Lanthimos with Emma Stone – at your local AMC Theatres location, let’s dive into the splendid career of the celebrated visionary.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things
In what can best be described “Frankenstein meets the Female Empowerment Movement,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ POOR THINGS follows a young woman named Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) as she is brought back to life and seeks to make sense of this new world around her. Through her exploration of both the physical and metaphysical world, Bella will not only find out who she is but also what she wants out of life, be it equality, freedom, or understanding… or all three.
Reuniting With Emma Stone
Yorgos Lanthimos, who has reteamed with actors like Rachel Weisz, Colin Farrell, and Olivia Colman, a couple of times over the years, will do the same with Emma Stone when POOR THINGS comes out in December. The director and actress, who is also serving as one of the producers, first worked together in the 2018 period black comedy, THE FAVOURITE.
The immensely funny and offbeat story centers on the court of Queen Anne (Oliva Colman) and rivalry between the two women – Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail (Stone) – vying for her attention and favor.
The Favourite’s Success
THE FAVOURITE received a total of 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Original Screenplay, and multiple categories in the acting field. Though Olivia Colman was the lone representative of the movie to receive an Oscar®, THE FAVOURITE made a massive splash in the 2018-2019 awards season, taking home multiple BAFTAs and a one Golden Globe, which once again was for Colman’s portrayal of Queen Anne.
But awards and nominations weren’t the only praise received, as it is Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a Tomato Score of 93% and an Audience Score of 70%, which is quite a feat.
Remembering The Lobster
Prior to THE FAVOURITE, Yorgos Lanthimos’ most successful film was THE LOBSTER, a 2015 absurdist black comedy-drama with one of the most unique premises for a movie in a very long time. The long and short of it is that a man named David (Colin Farrell) must find someone to fall in love with him in no more than 45 days or he will be turned into an animal of his choosing, which, in this case, is a lobster.
The movie, which also featured Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, Léa Seydoux, and Ben Whishaw, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2015 Academy Awards, but lost out to MANCHESTER BY THE SEA.
Lanthimos followed that up with THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, a psychological horror film inspired by Greek tragedies, in 2017. This thriller, which once again featured Farrell in a lead role, centered on a surgeon whose life is thrown for a loop after bringing home a mysterious teenager with a strange connection to his past. Barry Keoghan, Nicole Kidman, and Bill Camp also appeared.
