Searchlight Pictures has released the first full-length trailer for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things. Poor Things is one of many of Lanthimos’s eccentric and quirky films like The Lobster (2015), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), and The Favourite (2018). 

The film is an adaptation of Scottish writer Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel of the same name. It follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a woman who is resurrected from the dead by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Bella runs away with lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to explore the world and find her purpose in life. Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, Christopher Abbot, Kathryn Hunter, and Margaret Qualley also star in the film.      

While Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) significantly influences the original novel, Bella’s character contains similar aspects to an old misogynistic trope. 

Spoiler warning for the novel and film below. 

In the novel, scientist Dr.Godwin switches Bella’s brain with an infant’s brain to bring her back to life. After her resurrection, Bella develops a desire to explore the world and is described as having an extreme “sexual appetite” that prompts her to pursue men. These characteristics mimic the “Born Sexy Yesterday” (BSY) trope created in 2017 by film critic Jonathan McIntosh who operates the “Pop Culture Detective” YouTube channel. 

The trope is heavily present in science fiction. It encompasses an individual, usually a woman, who is created or discovered by a male figure and attempts to learn more about their new surroundings. The character often has a childish demeanor in their actions and personality. Moreover, the character is sexualized to be a romantic interest to the male protagonist. The trope has been a common storytelling element throughout history as seen in the ancient Greek myth of Galatea and Pygmalion.

The “Born Sexy Yesterday” trope not only sexualizes the female character but also removes her agency by infantilizing her actions and thoughts. 

The most notable instances of this trope are seen in films like Born Yesterday (Billie Dawn), The Fifth Element (Leeloo), Tron: Legacy (Quorra), and Ex Machina (Ava). 

Hopefully, the film will avoid the trope and portray Bella Baxter as a fully-realized character.  

Poor Things is set to release in theaters on September 8, 2023

Check out the trailer below.