Controversial Emma Stone film 'Poor Creatures' debuts after forced scene changes for UK viewers

The concept of resurrection, bringing life to inanimate matter, has captivated humanity from time immemorial. The thrill of toying with life and death, straddling the border of worlds, and wrestling with the moral implications of such actions will probably always enthrall us. One needs to remember Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," Carlo Collodi's "Pinocchio," and their film adaptations, and Yórgos Lánthimos' "Poor Creatures".

In Lánthimos' most recent project, "The Favourite," based on Alasdair Gray's novel, a young woman (Emma Stone) is resurrected by a brilliant "mad scientist" (Willem Dafoe). Bella must rediscover everything and is eager to experience life to the fullest. That naturally includes sex.

This erotic sequence met with resistance from the British Board of Film Classification, which classifies and censors films and certain games in the UK, according to the Daily Mail. The controversial clip depicts two young boys watching Bella work as a prostitute. Their father hired her to teach his sons about sex.

The film will be released in the UK for viewers aged 18 and over, but only after the scene above is altered. The British Board of Film Classification invoked the 1978 Children's Protection Act. "Poor Creatures" will premiere in the UK on January 12, 2024.

Yórgos Lánthimos is renowned for daring scenes and dialogues, exemplified by the passion-filled film "The Favourite" with Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. The star of "La La Land" revealed in an interview that she chose to participate in the Greek director's latest project because it discusses the process of "understanding what it means to be a woman".