We already knew that Poor Things, a sci-fi tinged adaptation of Alasdair Gray's bestselling novel of the same name, was going to feature some pretty full-on moments, as the movie was officially rated R for: “Strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore, and language."
A recent featurette (see below) gave us a brief glimpse of what to expect, but now that the first reactions are in following the premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it's come to light that these scenes are a lot raunchier/graphic than we had initially been led to believe.
During the press conference (via Variety), director Yorgos Lanthimos spoke about star Emma Stone's commitment to filming these difficult sequences, and said he wished she was present to talk about the movie and her character.
“It’s a shame that Emma could not be here to speak more about it, because it will be coming all from me,” he said. “First of all, sex is an intrinsic part of the novel itself, her freedom about everything including sexuality. Secondly, it was very important for me to not make a film that would be prudish, because that would be like completely betraying the main character."
“We had to be confident Emma had to have no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes and she understood that right away,” he added.
Just in case you were wondering, yes, there was an intimacy coordinator present.
“At the beginning, this profession felt a little threatening to most filmmakers, but I think it's like everything: if you’re with a good person, it’s great and you realise you actually need them,” Lanthimos said about bringing Elle McAlpine on board. “She made everything much easier for everyone.”
"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."
The movie has been rated R for “Strong and pervasive sexual content, graphic nudity, disturbing material, gore, and language."
Poor Things is set to hit theaters for a limited run this September.