‘Poor Things’ will bring Yorgos Lanthimos back to the Oscars

Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers currently working and he put that enigmatic style to effective use once again with his new movie “Poor Things.” This Searchlight Pictures release, due out on Dec. 8, follows Emma Stone as a reanimated woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery. Willem Dafoe is the doctor who brings her back to life while Mark Ruffalo delivers a hilarious turn as a caddish lawyer who falls for her. The film has earned rave reviews so far, with a near-perfect 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s critical consensus reads: “Wildly imaginative and exhilaratingly over the top, ‘Poor Things’ is a bizarre, brilliant tour de force for director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone.”

Many critics are calling the film his best work to date. Nick Schager (The Daily Beast) observed: “‘Poor Things’ is a work about distortion, assemblage, and invention, and thus it’s apt that the film deforms and amalgamates to beget something thrillingly unique.” Stephanie Zacharek (Time Magazine) explained: “It’s Lanthimos’ finest movie so far, a strange, gorgeous-looking picture that extends generosity both to its characters and the audience.” And Ryan Lattanzio (Indie Wire) claimed: “The best film of Lanthimos’ career… mordantly funny, whimsical and wacky, unprecious and unpretentious, filled with so much to adore that to try and parse it all here feels like a pitiful response to the film’s ambitions.”

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This has led, of course, to us predicting that “Poor Things” will receive multiple Oscar nominations across the board including Best Picture, Best Actress for Stone, Best Supporting Actor for both Ruffalo and Dafoe, Best Adapted Screenplay Tony McNamara, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design. And Lanthimos? Well, we think he’ll pick up a Best Director bid, too, alongside Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Greta Gerwig (“Barbie”), and Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”). Currently, Lanthimos sits in third place in our Oscars odds chart for this category.

This would be Lanthimos’ second bid in this category; he previously contended in 2019 for “The Favourite” and lost to Alfonso Cuarón, who won for “Roma.” He also earned a Best Picture nomination for that film, which he shared with Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, and Lee Magiday. And he shared in a Best Original Screenplay nomination with Efthimis Filippou in 2017 for “The Lobster.”

The academy loves auteurs and Lanthimos is absolutely that. The more unique and singular their style is, the better chance they have at being singled by the directors branch. You need only watch a minute of any Quentin Tarantino movie, for example, and you know it’s by him. The same can be said for Lanthimos. Recent auteurs who have earned recognition in this race include Ruben Östlund (for “The Triangle of Sadness” in 2023), Paul Thomas Anderson (for “Licorice Pizza” in 2022), David Fincher (for “Mank” in 2021), Tarantino (for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” in 2020), Scorsese (for “The Irishman” in 2020), Bong Joon-ho (for “Parasite” in 2020), Adam McKay (for “Vice” in 2019), and Spike Lee (for “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019). Lanthimos’ nomination for “The Favourite” also belongs in this category and so, too, would his potential bid for “Poor Things.”

This film marks a reunion for Lanthimos and Stone after they worked together on “The Favourite.” She contended for Best Supporting Actress for that film alongside costar Rachel Weisz (they lost to Regina King for “If Beale Street Could Talk”). The academy likes partnerships between performers and directors and, often, both artists can help the other on their way towards nominations.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Scorsese are a famous pairing — they were nominated (for Best Actor and Best Director, respectively) for both “The Aviator” (2005) and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014). Similarly, Daniel Day-Lewis (Best Actor) and Anderson (Best Director) were both nominated for “There Will Be Blood” (2008) and “Phantom Thread” (2018). Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor for the first, Best Actor for the second ) and McKay (Best Director) were both nominated for “The Big Short” (2016) and “Vice” (2019). And Jennifer Lawrence (Best Actress for the first, Best Supporting Actress for the second) and David O. Russell (Best Director) were both nominated for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2013) and “American Hustle” (2014).

Lanthimos and Stone could solidify their own status as admired collaborators with nominations each here. Stone is our current favorite to win Best Actress. But Lanthimos would be facing off against fellow auteurs Nolan and Scorsese for  “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,” respectively.

So, while Lanthimos looks secure for a nomination, a win may be just out of reach. He is still a relative newcomer while Nolan has been around for a long while. Voters may want to finally give Nolan a Best Director win. Scorsese, meanwhile, has been an Oscar darling for decades, having amassed nine Best Director nominations to date. However, he’s only won once (for “The Departed” in 2007) and voters will absolutely want to give this legendary filmmaker a second gong if they can. Again, “Killers of the Flower Moon” could be the right movie for them to do just that.

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