Watch: 'Poor Things'
For Dreaming of: Lisbon's Fantastical Architecture.
Films
'Poor Things' is an unusually provocative tale, nominated for 2023's Academy Award for Best Picture and Emma Stone's accolade as Best Actress. You're presented with a black and white, institutional, Frankenstein-esque mood upfront. But once Stone escapes her captor-father and dashes away on a honeymoon to Lisbon, the scenery brightens and turns fantastical. While it is all CGI, the spirit of Lisbon is captured in a playful and colorful manner.
We love this review from ArchitectureNow that describes the cinematography as we saw it:
The architecture becomes, in her strange and innocent world, a playground, a place for adventure and discovery, new experiences to be found around every corner. [The director] captures these architectural settings with weirdly appropriate wide-angles, turning much of our focus towards the scenery, presenting the surroundings in the way Bella [Stone] sees them, captured with over-saturated lighting, fluorescent skies, or monochromatic frames. A trademark fish-eye lens is also on display, the labyrinthine stairwells become Escher-esque etchings, the alleyways of Lisbon echo Gaudí or Kafka with their twisting, organic grandeur.
It's a fun way to re-live or prepare for your adventure to Lisbon.
Watch it: on Amazon
Photo Source: ArchitectureNow
Syllogi’s ‘Musings’ is a series helping you paint a picture of a destination while traveling from your living room. From relevant books and articles, inspiring movies and tv shows, to songs and even treats and dishes, our goal is to curate a sensory experience that will prepare you for an upcoming trip, reminiscence on adventures past, or simply to envision a place that exists in your bucket list fantasies.
