The SYMBOLISM, MEANING, and BEAUTY of Poor Things Explained | Non-Spoiler Analysis

Poor Things might be my very favorite movie of the year, I love it! What are your thoughts on the film, or do you plan to see it? Let me know below!

The philosophy theme seems to me to be the most overlooked in the reviews I've seen. Bella goes through several philosophical schools while she develops starting with chaos or anarchism as she learns to control her body. When she discovers sexual pleasure, she is exploring hedonism - sex, food (she wants more of the good food and spits out the bad). She becomes nihilistic after meeting the cynic character (who more of a nihilist) and learning about pain and suffering. Then a realist from the brothel madame. In the end, she takes what she likes from each.

Don’t watch this movie with your parents, don’t commit the mistake I did

I'm also in love with those intertitle cards featuring Bella riding a fish, Bella stepping across a person's fingers, etc. They're so imaginative and visually striking, like moving portraits. They feel a bit like the chapter cards in Breaking the Waves.

As both mother and daughter she is the creator of herself. The absence of societal structures in her early life allow this to materialize as she essentially raises herself without undue influence.

I loved that the colors start black and white hit you with the striking bright colors and end with not quite muted but less loud blue hues its like the movie ages with bella its calms as she becomes more comfortable in her body

Did it occur to you that maybe Bella would have said no to the predatory advances of Duncan if she was already a mature woman at the time of their first meeting? She agreed to go off with him because her mind wasnt mature enough to know that he was a predatory creep. This is one reason why we say that a child/young teen is unable to give informed consent to a relationship with a much older adult.

If there is one thing that really stood out for me was the very beginning and the very ending it did a great job of show her growth. The first time we see her she is basically a baby banging on a piano with her hands and feet, the music this simple sound that was almost not even music. Conversely at the end she is reading a anatomy book with a intelligent curious look on her face preparing for her test to become a doctor and the music is this beautiful uplifting orchestration. Showing how far she had come from where she started. Just 👍

I thought you were going to talk about how Godwin is clearly a reference (both in name and philosophy) to William Godwin, who not only was an influential figure in Philosophical Anarchism, but was also Mary Shelley's father.

This film really made me think about how much of ourselves are shaped by our childhood development. It's not just what we are exposed to, but also the perspective that framed those experience. Bella is driven by her curiousity to explore, which made her act first before weighting the pros & cons of things as most adult do. It allow her to be open to every option, even ones we deem as wrong as a society. Her value system then is very reflective of how things made her feel in the moment. The men in her life in a way are trapped by what they find to be ok to do; whether its for science, pleasure, moral high ground, or sadistic desire, they are still bind to certain ways of life, while Bella is free. She lives in a society that is structured to imprison her, but choose to say no.

The message is about the pressures and conditions on women and how men react to them. This, to me, is similar to Barbie. I know, don't laugh, but women not conditioned to the expectations of society would confuse and upset men. It's not to hurt them, it's that we aren't conforming to what their expectations are and what THEY have learned to expect from women.

Incredibly grateful for your review, I have the exact same perspective. I couldn't put my perspective so easily into words, and you literally nailed it. Modern Society dreadfully rejects curiosity and wonder in favor of radical expectations that are cruel and divisive. I felt an immense comfort from this film's message, that our world can always be better if we can simply value kindness more than money. I once studied the definition of 'sadness', and I believe it is simply the resulting feeling from unfulfilled expectations. So, perhaps happiness is the feeling of courage to pursue curiosity and wonder without influence and expectation. thanks :)

it's my favorite of the year by far... and it has become one of my all-time faves. I haven't felt this way about a film in a long time. I love it when that happens... it's rare. I'm reading the book now and I love it

I LOVED THIS FILM! I had to watch it twice to catch the cinematography geniuses of the circles, the color red, and the use of lenses. I also found odd similarities to how AI learns so quickly... being a "baby brain" thrust into adult content so quickly. This is also sadly our children thrust into social media. I found it oddly futuristic.

Well stated thank you! The steampunk aesthetic arguably also represents that the main text of the Alasdair Gray novel is, in fact, a parody of a real woman’s life (an important aspect of the novel that otherwise was not adapted into the film). Very cool that the novel and film provide ample material for us to think about, good job!

There's so much literal and self indulgent reviewing of this film on social media, reviews which are about the subjective unquestioned values of the viewers rather than the film's, it's a delight to come scross your review here which is so respectful because you try to meet the film on its own terms instead of introducing irrelevant extraneous criteria... you're trying to respond to the nuance and complexity of the characters and themes, realising that cinematic language works on many levels simultaneously. People often mistake their subjective like or dislike of a movie, which on a personal level is a perfectly ok thing, with an evaluation based on the cinematic language a director has chosen. Well done, a mature, considered and fair review, definitely worth reading. Cheers from Melbourne 🎉

It’s SUCH a breath of fresh air to come back to your analysis after trying to listen to a few other videos on the movie, AND the many thoughtful appreciative thoughts expressed in the comments section here too!! THANK YOU so much!! Your channel is really really beginning to stand out as being one of the more thoughtful analyses channels and I think you stand a great chance of enormously increasing your subs in 2024!! Hope it’s a great year for you!!!

Historical and literary references not noted but could be are to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, 1818. The names, Godwin and Baxter are not random. There may be more references, but this is what I have noted. Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was born in 1797 to mother, Mary Wollstonecraft and father, William Godwin. Wollstonecraft (her mother) wrote, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792. She died eleven days after Mary was born in 1797. Godwin (her father) was a political philosopher and proponent of anarchism. When Mary was 15, her father William Godwin sent her to live with the family of William Baxter, a political radical thinker. Percy Bysshe Shelley was a fan of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft and became friends with William Godwin, visiting his home, not unlike Max McCandles' fascination with Dr. Godwin Baxter in Poor Things. Mary Shelley ran away from her father, who she adored but against his wishes, at age 16 with Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814 to experience romantic love and explore the world. Her father was less supportive of his daughter than one would think given his philosophical beliefs. At the end of William Godwin's life, his daughter, now Mary Shelley, returned to him to care for him. Even though she struggled financially, Mary Shelley supported other women during her life after Percy Shelley died. Some of these relationships may have had a romantic component. I am a dabbler in the life of Mary Shelley. I am sure that a more astute historian could discover and explain the references in Poor Things better. Thanks for reading!

I love your analysis! ❤ I have seen this 3x at the movies already. It’s about self-discovery and finding your identity without any social conditioning. I love how you added the perspective of 2nd chances for the baby and Victoria... breaking the cycle of generational trauma. Bravo sir!!! 👏 👏 👏

Well done!! This is one of the best analyses I've seen since watching the film two days ago. I especially appreciate your highlighting the film maker's rejection of the idea that the film has an overarching message. So much of the analysis I'm running into is a reviewer imposing a message or moral onto the film and then supporting it with self-conscious commentary.