Emma Stone's meteoric rise as a captivating arthouse star

No one ever witnessed Greta Garbo's on-screen bathroom activities. There are very few films where Doris Day works at a French brothel. Traditionally, Hollywood film stars have been admired for their elegance and allure. Even when portraying desperate characters like alcoholics or mental patients, they manage to maintain their shine. For more daring performances, one must turn to European cinema, where actors display little embarrassment when it comes to bodily functions.

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With that in mind, it's truly astonishing to see Emma Stone in Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos's extraordinary new film, Poor Things, which is based on Scottish writer Alasdair Gray's Whitbread Award-winning novel. While funded by a Hollywood studio (Disney-owned Searchlight), this is a European arthouse production that fearlessly tackles subjects ranging from incontinence to sex.

Stone's Astonishing Performance

Stone, who also serves as a producer on the film, delivers a remarkable performance as the innocent and naive heroine, Bella Baxter. Many industry insiders are already predicting her for a second Oscar win, following her Best Actress award for La La Land in 2017. Her portrayal is not a typical method acting display that American stars often gravitate towards, aiming for psychological depth and realism. Instead, Stone embraces a highly stylized approach, reminiscent at times of a dancer in an avant-garde ballet, say Pina Bausch. She holds nothing back, fully immersing herself in the role of an adult character with the intellectual capacity of a child. She communicates through her own whimsical language, akin to nursery rhymes, and throws tantrums.

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