It's almost as if Yorgos Lanthimos had sat down for a transcendental conversation with James Whale! Student "Max" (Ramy Youssef) is a student recruited by his professor "Godwin" (Willem Dafoe - aka "God") to come and help him work on his latest project. She's called "Bella" (Emma Stone) and it soon transpires that she is the product of some very creative surgery on the part of "God" - a man who has, himself, had one or two experiences under the knife at the hands of his scientist father! You see, a pregnant woman took her own life by jumping from a bridge, but was luckily fished out of the water before her baby died. The surgeon managed to deliver the baby then replace the dead brain of the adult with the one from the nascent infant! Needless to say, "Bella" is on an actively steep learning curve and is quite capable of throwing the odd tantrum to get what she wants - and that is, initially, to go out and explore. Gradually more empowered, and a little more mature, she discovers the delights of the orgasm - and after that there's no stopping her. "God" tries to control her by suggesting a marriage to "Max" but he insists on such a fastidious contract that "Duncan" (Mark Ruffalo) concludes she must be worth investigating. He meets her and offers her her dreams, she convinces "God" to let her go with him and soon she is embarked on a trip around Europe enjoying the frequent delights of "furious jumping"! The always learning woman soon tires of her beau, and realises that she can have loads of fun and earn at the same time - before "God" falls ill and she must return home to not just that life, but surprisingly to the one she thought she had left behind on the bridge. This film is genuinely laugh-out-loud at times, and the performance from Emma Stone has to be her best. She plays the almost porcelain-like and childish "Bella" when we meet her expertly, and that skill prevails as her character evolves into a savvy, street-smart and capable woman who quickly learns to fight fire with fire. Ruffalo is also on super form as her travelling companion and Kathryn Hunter also turns in a solid performance as her Parisian paymaster "Swiney". The narrative takes us on a fantastic tour of European cities, but also on a wonderfully evocative tour of humanity - warts and all. "Bella" has a practical and analytical mind that at times seems ludicrously detached, then somehow she ends up having got it right all along. It might look a bit long at just shy of 2½ hours but it really flies by and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor billy goat at the end of this creatively interpreted and very well adapted story of what were originally supposed to be Glaswegian hotspots!
