Wes Anderson is an infamous name in modern filmmaking, now synonymous with high stylization and a satisfying aesthetic. His saturated pastel sets, signature static and tracking shots, as well as attention to detail regarding symmetry have garnered quite the fanbase over the years. There was even a Wes Anderson trend on TikTok earlier in the year, with millions on the app enjoying mimicking his unique style and attempting to recreate it with shots from their own daily lives. All while being set to the supplementary trending sound “Obituary” by Alexandre Desplat, from Anderson’s own: The French Dispatch.
The vast majority of Anderson’s filmography has been very well received and heavily praised. Especially familiar titles such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr. Fox. And his newest undertaking, Asteroid City, seems to be no exception. The quirky, desert-situated film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 23rd to an exuberant crowd and a wave of praise from critics and audiences alike, as it screened multiple more times throughout the fest.
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, the film takes place in a 1950s American desert town during a Junior Stargazer and Space cadet camp. During the convention, some other worldly events occur, disrupting the small town and the cast of kooky characters currently residing in it.
Anderson partners with cinematographer Robert Yeoman once more, in what may be their most visually stunning collaboration to date. The neutral colors of the desert contrasted with turquoise, cloudless skies and colorful set pieces and costumes are an absolute feast for the eyes. Every frame, as per usual with this auteur, could be printed, framed, and hung in a gallery.
Occupying this saturated, sandy world is a plethora of characters played by very familiar faces and recognizable talent — many of whom have worked with Anderson countless times before. Included in the cast are the likes of Tom Hanks, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum and Tilda Swinton. Edward Norton plays an experienced and well-written playwright, Jason Schwartzman is Augie Steenback, a war photographer that has yet to tell his children that their mother has been deceased for the better of three weeks. Then there’s Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson), a dedicated movie star as well as the mother of Junior Stargazer, Dinah (Grace Edwards) who happens to find an attraction to fellow cadet, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), son of Augie, and proclaimed a brainiac by his late mother.
Though this isn’t even a percentage of the characters depicted, Anderson does a splendid job at keeping them all straight and the story less confusing and muddled than it should be. And throughout it all, there’s even a Margot Robbie cameo that’s every bit as iconic as it sounds.
Without listing the entirety of the cast, the ensemble all do a phenomenal job at handling Anderson’s unique cadence of dialogue, playing off of each other in the most fun way, and appearing as though they belonged authentically in the world of Asteroid City. The set appears lived in, the relationships throughout are believable, sometimes heartwarming and touching. The film actually reveals a wonderfully unanticipated amount of emotion that a few of his films have seemed to sacrifice in the past for the sake of keeping up with aesthetic.
The film is, of course, quirky and silly a good amount of the time, but Asteroid City has a hidden heart at its core that should emerge as a gleeful surprise to viewers. The characters express the love of invention and human creation, they experience the joys of performance and art, and they sit and ask the question in their own ways – “what’s the meaning of it all, really?”
Through alien invasion, inventors, playwrights and camp kids, Anderson supplies a gorgeously fresh and touching tale of humans trying to do their “thing” right, whatever that may be. Whether it’s performance, science, art, relationships or just simply put, life, it’s a passionate and seemingly never ending struggle that every audience member should be able relate to, pastels and all.
