2023 felt like the year that movies were finally BACK. After several years of COVID delays, moviegoers finally got a full year of uninterrupted cinematic releases. And genuinely most of these releases were incredible feats of cinema and storytelling. Emphasis on most, as there definitely were some stinkers.
It’s 2023, and movies are finally back. Hollywood has at last reached the point where the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are barely felt, and the ensuing bounty of film has resulted in one of the best years for the movies in recent memory. This was the year of the Barbenheimer craze that occupied our collective consciousness over the summer months, the year of features ranging from the nostalgic and personal to the unsettling, the harrowing, and the deeply, fantastically odd.
I find that these past two years have been integral to my growing appreciation of cinema and what it has to offer in its emotional aspects. My top ten films of 2023 consist of movies that have crushed my spirit, inspired me, and disgusted me. These movies are special not just for this, but also for their visual appeal, expertly crafted screenplays, and impeccable direction. They are, in my opinion, some of the best that cinema has to offer this year and ones that have stayed in my mind long after leaving the theater. Before I get into this, I should mention a few films I loved for various reasons that did not make this list.
In Poor Things, director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favorite, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) crafts a tale reminiscent of a mythical hero’s journey, telling the story of a woman newly created by mad science embarking on a quest to discover herself. Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is returned from the dead by Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) with no memories and the mind of an infant, rapidly maturing as her brain grows to fit her body. She exists entirely within Godwin’s control as a scientific experiment, her movements meticulously documented by his assistant (Ramy Youssef) who quickly becomes infatuated with her. At the same time, Bella begins to discover her own sexuality, finding enjoyment in pleasure but confused by social constraints and soon desiring to see the world outside Godwin’s abode. An opportunity for her escape comes in the form of Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a hedonistic lawyer who offers to take her away. The pair subsequently embark on a sex-filled tour of the Mediterranean, where Bella discovers within herself a deep desire to help the unfortunate of the world.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Poor Things’: An Odyssey of Sexual Liberation”