Emma Stone's Graphic Sex Scenes In Poor Things Are Coming To Save The Movie Sex Discourse
If you're lucky enough to have missed the Movie Sex Discourse until now, allow me to fill you in. Every full moon or so, the question is posed on social media: "Are sex scenes necessary in movies?" The answer, of course, is yes, as /Film writers Witney Seibold and BJ Colangelo have eloquently argued in the past. Now, obviously, not all sex scenes are equal in terms of how they're shot and the way they treat actors. Heck, some of the more infamous ones in film history were even downright unethical in the way they were made. But there's a world of difference between saying sex scenes should be done responsibly and implying that consensual sex (a perfectly healthy thing people do every day) has no place in cinema.
This brings us to Yorgos Lathimos, the director of critical darlings like "The Lobster" and the Oscar-winning "The Favourite," and his new period film "Poor Things." Adapted from Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, the film casts "Favourite" star Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a Victorian-era woman who is re-animated "Frankenstein"-style with a transplanted brain, allowing her to re-discover everything about what it's like being alive with a fresh set of eyes. Naturally, that includes what it's like to have sex, whether it involves flying solo (yes, I mean masturbation, not what Han Solo and Chewbacca may or may not do while they're showering together), or with another person.
If you're surprised by this, then you've probably never seen any of Lanthimos' previous work — much less watched "Poor Things" and "The Favourite" scribe Tony McNamara's prematurely canceled Hulu series "The Great" (a show where, among other things, Nicholas Hoult gives new meaning to the term "cuckolding"). But more than that, Lanthimos has assured that, yes, Stone's graphic sex scenes are extremely "necessary" to his new film.
'Why is there no sex in movies?'
Sex scenes are like anything else in films: They can advance the plot or visually illustrate the evolving power dynamic between two characters (as they do in Ang Lee's under-appreciated erotic espionage drama "Lust, Caution"), or they can simply exist to create vibes or make the story's characters feel more realistic. In other words, you lose something when you remove sex from the equation in film, as we've seen with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other recent (mostly) sexless franchises. "Why is there no sex in movies?" Lathimos asked, speaking at a press conference for the premiere of "Poor Things" at the Venice Film Festival (via IndieWire).
Seeing as sex is a natural part of everyone's lives, it only makes sense that having sex would be integral to Bella's journey in both Gray's novel and Lathimos' film adaptation. "But first of all, it was a very intrinsic part of the novel itself, her freedom about everything, including sexuality," said Lanthimos. More than that, he rightly felt it would be a betrayal of the character to make a film that's squeamish about sexuality when she is anything but. "We had to be confident and again, like the character, have no shame," he added.
This extended to Stone, whom Lanthimos said "had to have no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes, and she understood that right away." With that in mind, he made it clear Stone's comfort was always a priority. It's part of why he shot the film in real places with natural lighting as much as possible, allowing there to be fewer people around — "just [cinematographer] Robbie [Ryan], Hayley [Williams] the AD, and the actors" — and to create a "comfortable intimate environment" during the filming of these scenes.
The importance of intimacy coordinators
While Stone was unable to promote "Poor Things" in Venice due to the major studios having failed to hash out a satisfactory deal with the striking actors' and writers' guilds, she echoed everything Lanthimos said during a pre-strike interview she and the director gave to Total Film Magazine. In her own words:
"Bella is not ashamed. She doesn't know to be ashamed of a naked body or sex, in the same way, she shoves a ton of tarts into her mouth, or gets drunk and falls asleep, and has all of these experiences. She wants the most out of life. And sex, for her, is a part of that."
Both Stone and Lanthimos also sang the praises of the film's intimacy coordinator, Elle McAlpine. Now, intimacy coordinators have become fairly commonplace in film and TV productions, though not without pushback (like when actor Sean Bean argued they "spoil the spontaneity" of sex scenes). "In the beginning, this profession felt a little threatening to most filmmakers," Lanthimos admitted at the Venice press conference, "but it's like everything. If you work with a good person, it's great and you realize that you actually need them. So she made everything so much easier for everyone," he added.
Stone said something similar to Total Film, noting she originally didn't anticipate talking to McAlpine very much. "I couldn't have been more wrong," she said. "[McAlpine] was so integral to feeling comfortable. She was so gentle and passionate. She was just amazing and so helpful in that whole process. It really made me understand intimacy coordinators when they're really good at what they do. It changed the entire energy of the set, and the feeling of safety. She was an incredible part, also, of those scenes."
"Poor Things" will hit theaters, raunchy sex scenes and all, on December 8, 2023.