The Fireman's Ball (Miloš Forman, 1967)
If you'll allow me the confirmation bias, it's not difficult to believe that this is the movie that Emma Stone claims made her want to be an actress. It's very spiritually similar to Poor Things. I can't explain why they're both comforting to me without sounding victim blamey, which maybe is an internalized misogyny thing. But I like the way I'm never afraid for the girls' safety. Yeah the men are creepy, but they'll be ok. They'll just roll their eyes and move on. It's wish fulfillment, maybe. A world with lots of dancing and slapstick where nothing bad will ever happen to me because I diva too hard and my face comedy is too funny.
So yeah. Kind of that for Poor Things also. Slay hard, dance a lot, fuck the haterz. Fall down but make it funny. Wear insane eyeliner and the most random ass haircut. You'll be fine.
Which, I understand to be mean. What about the slayless girls with average hair? Idk. But it's nice to imagine a world where we are all funny, slayful girls with weird hair.
And I'm about to read the essay that comes with the Criterion dvd that I do not own so maybe it'll open my mind and change my life and my opinion will be completely different after. And I will absolutely know more about communist Czechoslovakia, which is exciting.













