Pretty sure I just witnessed one of my top 5 favorite acting performances ever. Holy shit, Emma Stone is a revelation and deserves every acting award out there. Hands down one of the most impressive and mind-boggling performances I've seen. I've never so completely bought into the "child stuck in an adult body" concept as I have here. The way she walked, moved, talked, etc. It all felt so completely believable and uncanny, delivering an uncomfortable realization that we're watching an actual child in a grown woman's body.

It's so bizarre, I've found Emma Stone to be insanely gorgeous ever since I first saw her in The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2012. And yeah, I won't lie, I wondered what she looks like naked. What's doubly impressive about her performance here, as well as the direction and cinematography, is that despite finally getting to see her naked after like 12 years, it was remarkably unsexy. Her performance was so good that it didn't feel like I was watching a woman be sexy and sensual, it was more like watching a child be taken advantage of and it was uncomfortable. Or when she "matured" a bit, it was more comical than titillating due to the way she was expressing her sexuality in humorous ways. Also, as an autistic person, I deeply related to the way she bluntly stated her feelings and desires, and called out the bullshit rules of "polite society." If only we could all communicate so clearly.

As for everyone else in the cast, I was impressed with them as well. Willem Dafoe is always a delight and immerses deeply in whatever role he takes on. Mark Ruffalo showed a scummy, cowardly side that I never imagined he could portray. I dunno, I could name everyone, they all just felt so authentic.

Which is funny considering how stylized and almost cartoonish the world is. I adored the various ways Yorgos Lanthimos explored the medium of film, using fish lenses generously and abstract backgrounds with almost watercolor aesthetic and clearly fake but delightful sets. It was just a marvelous world to live in for over two hours, bringing to mind Alice in Wonderland as much as the narrative made me think of Frankenstein.

Finally, I just think the way feminism is explored here is deeply interesting and important. It's saying a lot of the same things Barbie did, but R-rated and goth instead of pink.

Might be my favorite film of 2023, which by the way has some stiff competition. Man, movies have been so fucking good the last few years.