YORGOS LANTHIMOS BOOK

A photographic vignette by Yorgos Lanthimos. Although created on the set of ‘Poor Things’ in Budapest, this work transcends time and space, creating its own universe, beyond the film’s context.

The photographs drift between black and white and colour, giving the impression of a waking dream between past and present, whilst multiple layers between reality and fiction are gradually revealed. While the film was set in various 19th century cities, including London, Lisbon, Marseille, and a cruise ship, they were all recreated in a studio in Budapest. These constructed cities and interiors provide the backdrop for the photographs, populated by characters that seemed to be wandering through the imagined cities.

In many of the shots, elements of the filming — screens, scaffolding, rigs, lighting and crew — are divulged on the periphery of the images, revealing the artifice behind the visual construction. Lanthimos has intentionally widened the frame to show the workings of the construct, fabricating a parallel narrative: a story within the story.

The publication, designed with foldouts, reinforces this idea by inviting the reader to discover those hidden worlds among the characters, as if opening a book within a book.