PAUVRES CRÉATURES : UTOPIE FÉMININE OU DYSTOPIE DES NORMES?
POOR THINGS: A FEMININE UTOPIA OR A DYSTOPIA OF NORMS?

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the notions of gender and female emancipation through the film Poor Things (2023), inspired by Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel. Drawing on the contributions of hermeneutic inquiry, the article explores how contemporary cinema attempts to rewrite representations of the feminine. Our research relies on a hermeneutic approach to interpret both the images and the discourses that structure the film, bringing to light the latent meanings they convey. Hermeneutics allows us to read the visuals and dialogues in order to interpret aesthetic choices and understand how these elements construct a discourse on the female body and on mechanisms of control. The adopted methodology is qualitative, aiming to connect the film’s narrative and visual components with the notions of utopia and dystopia. The theoretical lenses of utopia and dystopia help us explore the tensions experienced by the protagonist, Bella. The study ultimately shows that through Bella’s journey—one that leads her from ignorance to the discovery of freedom—the film goes beyond social criticism and offers a vision of a world in which a woman may reclaim her body and identity. The conclusion underlines that Poor Things emerges as a dystopian and inherently subversive work, prompting reflection on gender codes within the collective imagination.

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