Movies like Poor Things: Powerful female characters, awkward coming-of-age antics, deconstructions of sexual desire, and Mark Ruffalo, there are plenty of reasons for many, including myself, to absolutely adore what “Poor Things” has to offer. Whilst not for everybody, Yorgos Lanthimos’s surreal, explicit, and audacious latest feature is certainly a unique vision, critically acclaimed as a technical marvel, and considered worthy of a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. It centers around hilariously blunt and lovingly naive Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a corpse reanimated with the mind of an unborn fetus who begins a voyage across the world, learning about life, love, and everything in between.
A distinctive concept, to say the least, but one primed for exploring a vast array of fascinating ideas regarding the female experience and everything that comes with it. If you are someone who appreciates this lavishly charming film and wants to spend more time soaking up a world both abnormal and familiar, here are ten more to check out as brilliant companion pieces to this fine work.
1. Metropolis (1927)
Lanthimos is an expressionist director at heart, and therefore, why not check out one of the most important expressionist films ever made? Fritz Lang’s 1927 Sci-fi masterpiece serves as a thought-provoking study of female sexuality in a hyperbolised version of our world. The plot revolves around a futuristic dystopia with a great economic divide, where a woman, Maria (Brigitte Helm), is a champion of worker’s rights. The rich form a plot to foil her efforts by creating a robot duplicate and having her cause unrest with her sexuality. Maria is a character who represents a purity of sexuality. However, her doppelganger robot reflects the very opposite, seducing men and causing havoc. The film carefully examines the male structures that seek to view women as either objects to exploit or as idealized and unrealistic paragons of virtue.
It may tackle these ideas very differently, but “Metropolis” does share a number of similarities with “Poor Things,” not least in its biting satire of the male view of female sexuality but also in its presentation of strong female characters overcoming systems designed to repress them. A seminal work of the silent film era and perhaps one of the more accessible if you are looking to expand you’re knowledge of the medium.
2. Brazil (1985)
One reason you may have enjoyed “Poor Things” is due to its construction of a vivid world unlike any other. “Poor Things” takes a steampunk aesthetic and cleverly uses cinematography and visual effects to heighten the exquisite costumes and production design and utterly transport you. Terry Gilliam achieves a similar effect with his 1985 Sci-fi classic “Brazil,” masterfully creating a bureaucratic and totalitarian technocracy with well-realized mise-en-scene, impressively bringing to life a spectacular vision.
It is a smart satire and has Johnathan Pryce oozing with wry comedic talent as he is placed in progressively absurd situations and forced to question everything about the world around him. Both “Brazil” and “Poor Things” work because their protagonists fit so seamlessly into their respective worlds and serve as perfect audience surrogates that, as spectators, we can’t help but become engrossed.
3. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Perhaps this may seem an odd choice, but Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the classic 1897 novel shares a lot of similarities in its exploration of female sexual liberation as “Poor Things.” It also examines these ideas in a similarly stylized and absurd Victorian London setting. Many will be familiar with the plot of Dracula: Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves) visits the castle of Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) and realizes there is something supernatural about him, but it is too late, and Dracula has already made his way to England to begin unleashing chaos, with the rest of the film revolving around a group of characters determined to stop him in his tracks.
Where the film is similar to “Poor Things” is in the respective roles of Mina (Winona Ryder) and Lucy (Sadie Frost). Dracula’s exploitation of these women transforms them into far more sexualized beings and into beings that rebel against the traditional order of things, namely men being dominant sexually and women being submissive. This changes when Dracula attacks Lucy and Mina in what’s akin to a seduction. This Gothic classic remains timeless due to its complex exploration of these ideas, and if you liked “Poor Things,” then maybe this campy retelling will be the best way for you to consume this groundbreaking work.
4. Romance (1999)
There are strong disclaimers required for this recommendation, as “Romance” (sometimes referred to as “Romance X”) is not a film that will appeal to everyone’s sensibilities. This is exemplified by its rotten rating (49%) on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet, Catherine Breillat’s French-language arthouse film might just hit the spot for those desiring something that pushes the boundaries slightly further than a more mainstream film such as “Poor Things” would ever be able to.
The film follows Marie (Caroline Darcy), who is unsatisfied with her sex life and decides to change this. It is notable for its use of unsimulated sex, and similar to “Poor Things,” it is very explicit in its sexual content. Yet it is far colder in its presentation than “Poor Things” and frankly lacks the humor, plot, and characterization of it as well, but it is an interesting watch if you want a perhaps more rigorous examination of sexual desire.
5. Intimacy (2001)
Also featuring an unsimulated sexual scene, you might be noticing a theme here; Patrice Chereau’s “Intimacy” is also a part of the same New French Extremity wave that “Romance” also falls under. The film performed well at the Berlin Film Festival, taking home the Golden Bear for best film. Kerry Fox, who plays Claire, the woman involved in a passionate but unemotional affair with the protagonist Jay (Mark Rylance), was awarded the Silver Bear for best actress.
It is a film that would serve as a good counterbalance to “Poor Things.” While “Intimacy” is gritty, understated, and hyper-focused on reality, “Poor Things” is outlandish, brash, and surreal. Both are similar in their explorations of certain ideas about desire and the emotional consequences of engaging sexually with others, although they both approach these topics from widely differing angles, making them intriguing companion pieces.
6. 13 Going on 30 (2004)
A pretty obvious choice, and by far the least substantial when compared to the rest of the films on this list, but how could a list like this be complete without the 2004 fantasy romantic comedy “13 Going on 30”? Following Jenna (Jennifer Garner), a nerdy 13-year-old who one day wishes to be a successful adult, and as if by magic, her wish comes true. Not exactly my cup of tea, but one that may appeal to many who enjoyed “Poor Things” as it adopts a somewhat adjacent premise, where a girl must adapt to her new life in an adult’s body.
It takes this premise down a very different avenue, though, using it as a springboard for a fairly conventional romantic comedy narrative, but part of the genre’s charm is in its often formulaic nature. Furthermore, one of the best aspects of “Poor Things” was the deliciously off-kilter performance from Oscar-nominated Mark Ruffalo. If you want more of him, coincidentally enough, the primary love interest of the film, Matty, is also portrayed by the versatile actor.
7. Dogtooth (2009)
Lanthimos can be considered an auteur in the truest sense of the word, commanding the screen with an assured, creative voice. If you liked “Poor Things,” perhaps you may also enjoy some of his earlier works, which are equally, if not more so, cerebral and unique. Whilst he has made five Greek films, “Dogtooth” reigns as by far his most successful, nominated for best international feature at the Oscars.
On the surface, it doesn’t appear to share many similarities with his latest feature, revolving around a mother and father who confine their children within the family home, offering them a false version of reality, causing them to believe the outside world is too dangerous to exist in. However, themes of coming of age and rebelling against authority figures are heavily apparent in both “Dogtooth” and “Poor Things,” highlighting the power of parental influence over children. Some of Lanthimos’s earlier auteur signatures can also be found, such as his absurd comedic voice. Therefore, “Dogtooth” is an intriguing watch with the hindsight of knowing how his career progressed beyond these humbler origins.
8. Frances Ha (2012)
If you enjoyed “Poor Things” but perhaps found the explicit nature of it a bit much, then “Frances Ha” might be one to check out. A teaming up of the screenwriters of 2023’s smash hit Barbie, Noah Baumbach flexes his talents as a director, whilst Greta Gerwig is every bit as charismatic and loveable as Bella Baxter, portraying Frances, a woman in her mid-twenties flailing through life in a chaotic journey of self-discovery as she tries to both make it as a professional dancer in New York City and find a place to sleep while endlessly moving from apartment to apartment.
“Poor Things,” in many ways, is a film about female desire and about a woman deciding to chart her own course and follow her heart, not to the wills of others. “Frances Ha” is, therefore, a similar film, albeit one that frames the protagonist’s desire as asexual, meaning it is a film that will be a lot more accessible to many. A flawless and magical film that serves as a fantastic study of a captivating character, what they desire, and what they’ll do to get it.
9. Our Ladies (2019)
On to a film that not many have even heard of, Michael Caton-Jones’ “Our Ladies” is a Scottish coming-of-age film about five best friends who attend a strict and repressive Catholic school. However, when they get the opportunity to travel to Edinburgh for a choir competition, they are finally allowed to let loose. Similarly to “Poor Things,” the film has a deep anti-authority streak running through its heart, depicting these characters fighting the power and indulging in enjoyable hedonistic activities previously described to them as sinful and immoral.
“Our Ladies” is a breezy watch, filled with a vibrant energy that may lack the nuance and deeper messages at the core of a film like “Poor Things,” but manages to shrewdly avoid the pitfalls of over-sexualization. Instead, it delivers a charming tale of a believable friendship group who feel, first and foremost, like they are having fun, thus allowing the audience, in turn, to revel in their antics.
10. Shiva Baby (2020)
Finally, an underrated gem of a film that was released during lockdown. It may have been last year’s “Bottoms” that put Emma Selligman and Rachel Sennott on the map, but it is “Shiva Baby” that shares similarities to the film in question. Both are centered around chaotic women at the most important transitionary periods in their lives between childhood and adulthood. They each share one major quality, and they are both supremely funny.
Shiva Baby” tells a day in the life story of Danielle (Rachel Sennott), where she has numerous encounters with figures from her past, including an ex-girlfriend and a Sugar Daddy. Each interaction is more awkward yet engrossing than the last, as the conversations serve to develop the protagonist and confront her notions of family, sexuality, and the fear of growing up and evolving into maturity. It is superb and an excellent, disturbingly grounded film to complement the ethereal “Poor Things.”
