This looks like it could be the weirdest take on the Frankenstein story since Andy Warhol’s film. If you haven’t seen that one… you aren’t missing much. However, this isn’t Warhol, it’s Yorgos Lanthimos, the filmmaker behind The Lobster.
In this new take on the story, Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Defoe) raises Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) from the dead and seemingly cares for her as something between a daughter and a lab rat. As she develops and advances, she sees the world of possibilities ahead of her and that leads her to run off with a slimy lawyer played by Mark Ruffalo.
This feels like the kind of film that people are either going to see great meaning in or find to be overly pretentious and too weird. No matter what it turns out to be, it looks like it might definitely be one of the most unique films of 2023
“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.”