Venice Film Festival top prize goes to 'Poor Things,' Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos comedy
VENICE, Sept 9 — “Poor Things,” a gothic, sex-charged comedy directed by Greece’s Yorgos Lanthimos, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
VENICE, Sept 9 — “Poor Things,” a gothic, sex-charged comedy directed by Greece’s Yorgos Lanthimos, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
Starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo, the British-made film wowed festival-goers with its zany story of a woman reanimated after suicide by a mad doctor who replaces her brain with that of her unborn baby.
Childlike but with an adult’s body, Stone’s character Bella Baxter grows increasingly independent and excited by her sexual experimentations as she undertakes a voyage of self-discovery through a surreal version of 19th century Europe.
“The central character is Bella Baxter, an incredible creature, and she would not exist without Emma Stone, another incredible creature,” said Lanthimos, whose previous films include “The Favourite” and “The Lobster."
Mark Ruffalo in "Poor Things."Atsushi Nishijima / Searchlight PicturesVenice marks the start of the awards season and regularly throws up big favourites for the Oscars, with eight of the past 11 best director awards going to films that debuted here.
Rating: 5