It’s been a comparatively long time since we’ve last seen a film from Yorgos Lanthimos — for much of the ’10s, it felt like he was releasing a movie every year, between The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The Favourite — but, like Michael Jordan abandoning baseball and returning to the Bulls, we’ve got two words for you: He’s back. Searchlight dropped the first teaser (and when they say “teaser,” they mean it, given that it’s not even 45 seconds long) for Poor Things, a Frankenstein riff that stars Emma Stone as a woman who’s been brought back from the dead by Willem Dafoe and who subsequently decides to flee into the arms of Mark Ruffalo. We’re gonna say that’s a downgrade in terms of companionship, but who knows, you might like shitposting better than ice-fishing.
Take a look:
Here’s a synopsis, which… actually does a pretty good job of telling you what the film’s about? We’re absolutely stunned, so go ahead and read it while we take a second to recover:
“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.”
Poor Things hits theaters on September 8, which means it’s probably bound for Venice in terms of the fall festival season. We guess that, like CVS, trying to push the Halloween season into the immediate post-Labor Day frame, and you know what? We’re cool with it.