Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2023: Willem Dafoe & Ramy Youssef in Poor Things

Willem Dafoe did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite receiving a SAG nomination, for portraying Godwin Baxter nor did Ramy Youssef for portraying Max McCandles in Poor Things. 

Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef are essentially the first act of Poor Things, where we are introduced to our technical Frakenstein's monster of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) and naturally if there's the "monster" then there must be a doctor Frankenstein, and who better to take on such a role than the great Willem Dafoe. Dafoe is an actor who you can seem to plug into any genre, into any type of film, so why not bring him into the madness of a Yorgos Lanthimos film. Speaking of mad, Dafoe's makeup in itself is immediately striking, as basically a jigsaw puzzle for a face as his one of his first actions which is to expunge his gastric fluids when eating through a rather dramatic single bubble every time. Dafoe not to be upstaged by merely the imagery grafted onto his face, Dafoe naturally seems the ideal fit for the style of Lanthimos, as Dafoe is always playing with a twinge heightened tone in all of his best performances. What is therefore rather fascinating is as Dafoe performances go this is actually a fairly low key one oddly enough, and one where technically is extremely expressive face is not something he can rely on too much given the severity of his makeup, it is the testament to his talents however that you don't even give this a second thought when actually watching this performance. Our entryway to this strange tale is with the most down to earth character in the film in the medical student Max McCandles who is taken on by Godwin to observe Bella for him. Youssef's performance fills the right void in providing the outsiders view to insanity as the somewhat timid medical student who is just coming in to observe and really has no idea what he's getting into. I think there was a danger here however as such a role could easily be overly dull within the insanity, however Youssef's work fulfills the outsider view by providing the film with the ideal straight man for the insanity.  

Youssef, Dafoe and Stone end up being a comedic trio of each hitting a different note beautifully together. Dafoe's hilarity comes very specifically from his line deliveries which are always so matter of fact within the slight Scottish brogue he fashions for Godwin, evidently the one actor who remembered that the story starts in Scotland...not that I'm complaining even .01 percent about that as the film's approach has nothing to do with period or geographic accuracy. Regardless it's a great choice by Dafoe that just helps to craft Godwin into such an unusual and entirely captivating presence. One of my favorite aspects of Dafoe's being his scenes of explaining the horrific and nonsensical medical experiments that Godwin's father performed on him, and in each time I love how Dafoe speaks with almost a kind of weird nostalgia about it as he so calmly goes about each detail while also explaining his father's less than logical reasoning for his experiments. Youssef is an excellent facilitator of these moments by his reactions being that of a very normal person who is hearing such a story in the natural awkwardness and also horror in his eyes every time he hears them. Dafoe is equally hilarious though in just projecting the no nonsense manner of Godwin everytime without any social manner typically in his delivery. Whether this is suggesting that someone probably has bowel cancer based on his bathroom habits without a moment of hesitation nor really typical bad side manners. It is is very funny in itself but what Dafoe does well is present this very much as the scientific and medical mind of Godwin that has the habit of trying to put things forth in such terms as clearly as possible and without hesitation, which also happens to be very funny, while also amplified in terms frequently by Youssef's reactions everytime. My favorite of such being when Godwin finally reveals the truth of Bella by explaining to Max how he found a pregnant woman who had commit suicide. Dafoe's delivery initially of that of the proper storyteller of this tale of woe, until he leads to his decision which was to put the still living infant's brain in the dead woman's body, which is comic gold because Dafoe says it so nonchalantly as though that was obviously the only recourse. Made only funnier by Youssef's much more realistic reaction of sheer horror and disbelief at Godwin's decision. 

The most remarkable aspect of Dafoe's performance isn't his comedic authoritarian presence, although that is most welcome as well, it actually is the subversion of what he is doing throughout the film. What Dafoe delivers here as the focal point of Godwin is, despite the nature of the man, the nature of his work and just about everything else you can name about him, he does have a great big heart, and not an enlarged one as Godwin might misinterpret that as such. Dafoe actually doesn't hide this in his performance, rather makes it present right away, despite being so candid about everything else, as we see in an early scene where he basically delivers a bedtime story to Bella. Dafoe's delivery of this is with that of a real father's care and tenderness towards her. Dafoe's eyes, the one thing you can clearly see from him at all times, delivers this genuine sense of affection in watching her and moments of caring for her. That's despite the fact that he keeps her locked away inside the house lest she be recognized for the person Bella was originally, or more correctly her mother was originally. But I love the scene where Bella reveals her "secret" plan to run away with the cad Duncan (Mark Ruffalo). Dafoe's great in that he does portray genuine distress at the idea, but when explained to him that he's controlling her, Dafoe manages through his eyes to get through the makeup to show a loving father genuinely listening to essentially his daughter's earnest request and accepting it. Dafoe portrays the letting go not as a controlling mad scientist losing his creation, but rather a father needing to let go in the moment. Youssef on the other hand portrays a fascination with Bella in every sequence regardless, and this very specific curiosity where he emphasizes a quiet affection even when witnessing some of her less than wholesome behaviors and decisions. Although he takes exception with going off with Duncan, after being betrothed to Max, which Max rightly predicts is a bad idea. Youssef plays the moments of attempting to stop Bella himself by presenting it entirely earnestly in the moment of presenting his concerns with genuine care, rather than the intense controlling attitude we will see shortly afterwards from the far more duplicitous Duncan. 

After Bella leaves we occasionally check in with Max and Godwin as they try to continue on without her, even creating a replacement Bella at some point. Creating a contrast with the ever worsening relationship between Bella and Duncan, we have the two portraying two different kinds of missing, with Youssef always delivering each word earnestly with the expression of a man who genuinely just wants to see if she's okay, if also still very hilarious in his still rather lost moments of dealing with her rather explicit cards they send to them, contrasting that is Dafoe who is fantastic in presenting the outward dismissive uncaring though again his eyes reveal the truth of the father who does miss his daughter, to the point Godwin. Eventually leading the two to seek her out including one great scene between Ruffalo and Youssef, where Ruffalo is completely bonkers, while Youssef artfully amplifies the comedy by reacting with the right comedic energy of a mix of surprise, disgust and frustration, going right when Ruffalo goes left in just the right way, and together creating great comedy. Bella returns and what we get is essentially the warmth of both men albeit in their imperfect ways. Dafoe's great in the welcoming scene again by the effortless extreme juxtaposition of his deadpan greatness of explaining he's dying not ill, but as he looks at her Dafoe only shows true love and relief to see her again. A later scene, that is initially a confrontation of his experiment, which is just an amazing scene for Dafoe as he reacts with resignation of his lies, though his smile is just perfect from Dafoe as he shows all of Godwin's great love for her, when she does forgive him and even says she'll become a surgeon like him. Although we still get one more great bit of comedy from him as he gives advice on surgery with such tenderness in his delivery, then hilarious in his blunt descrpition of his father being a "fucking idiot" that is beautifully cathartic after hearing all of his horror tales of his father. Though I will also give Youssef credit one more time for being pitchperfect scene partner once again though with Stone now, as the now confident Bella quizzes him as a potential romantic interest by virtue of her past whoring, Youssef's work again just hits every comedic note so naturally, as he ponders the low price of her whoring, and comments that she best be checked for any potential diseases, yet with those straight man asides, still is also wholly earnest in every word of affection for her. His performance finding the exact trick place within the material, that amplifies the comedy that much more, while providing an essential bit of grounding. Dafoe on the otherhand is easy to take for granted, when hearing about him in this role, I knew he was going to be great, and he was. But one shouldn't take him for granted because his work here is truly amazing as he so effortessly is hilarious, but also rather moving as his mad scientist. 

(Youssef)

(Dafoe)