How is a masterpiece supposed to feel? I asked myself this continuously as “One Battle After Another” unfolded, as that was the prevailing sentiment around the film. I also was unsure how a Paul Thomas Anderson film would feel; this is the first film of his I have seen, so I knew his voice would be unfamiliar. And I went into the film with very little information as to the story, with a bit of wariness from the underwhelming trailer in theatres and seeming unremarkable title. I did not expect to be emotionally pummeled as I was, hurled into one of the richer worlds I have ever seen on screen, swung back and forth between comedic relief and abject terror. The realization of what I had experienced only arrived once it was all done, explaining individual pieces of the movie and falling more in love with the whole. And, somehow, I cried twice over the ending after I had left the theatre.
Minor information about the plot of the film follows.
The acting here is simply extraordinary across the cast. Leonardo DiCaprio is pitch perfect the entire film, embodying every stage of this character’s journey. There are no melodramatic emotional stunts for him, just pure absorption into each moment, often beautifully confused and desperately, palpably searching. His commitment to creating the truth of this role is the definition of great acting, and a Best Actor Oscar win would be completely deserved. Sean Penn, too, is breathtaking: he is hilarious and horrifying, sometimes at once, capturing the contradictions that make this character a miraculous work of writing. But even performers of this caliber, the best in the world, cannot steal the scene like Teyana Taylor.
Taylor exudes power, with a gaze that absolutely silences; she is a force on the screen that one must witness. And when her character becomes vulnerable, she is devastating, with her character’s last monologue reducing me to tears not only in the theatre, but also now as I remember it. It is not melodramatic in the slightest but sagging with regret, as her character’s irrepressible strength and purpose fight against that shame within her—and you don’t even see her face. DiCaprio’s performance, with its incredible detail, is an excellent example for any actor striving for greatness. But what Taylor brings is unteachable, and I have never seen any actor have her sheer might on screen.
The trailer for this film in theatres completely buries the lead of its story. If the tale of a paranoid dad’s Western adventure to get to his daughter doesn’t sound too compelling, then do not worry, because while that is technically a description of most of the film, it completely omits the enthralling world in which that adventure unfolds. The setting is less the United States than the Confederate States of America, and while the exact nature of this America is murky, Anderson gives the audience all they need in a single detail: the government gives out a Bedford Forrest Award. More specifically, the characters are in or around an alternate Texas, plagued by military raids seeking out a grand underground resistance and illegal Hispanic immigrants. The violence that ensues is harrowing, and the tension is suffocating until the story’s end. Given the scale of this film, the script must predate the start of Trump’s second term, but the commentary here is direct and piercing. Anderson’s American nightmare is not a warning for a far-off future but a mirror to the reality Americans have elected presently.
Most of the narrative beats land like punches, and so many moments merit essays to unpack. But within this masterwork script, the highlight for me is the character of Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn, who is one of the greatest film characters I have ever seen. I will not spoil all the dimensions of his character, but the Gordian knot of his psyche seems a mirror for our country’s own, self-loathing and self-aggrandizing. He is establishment America, the formal, white conception of the country, a pathetic monster fighting to sever itself from its humanity. Hopefully enough people will see and recognize this film that one day, Lockjaw will take his rightful place in America’s pantheon of cinematic villains. Perhaps, though he is too honest about this country to become popularly iconic.
As thematically layered and emotionally riveting as this narrative is, Anderson still makes plenty of space for humor, especially with the upper social echelon of this world, the white supremacist “Christmas Adventurers’ Club.” The comedy never feels out of place, either, coexisting with terror and tragedy as is the case in our own lives. A lesser filmmaker would lean into the harrowing aspects of the film, distrusting the audience to make sense of a wider emotional scope and perhaps their own storytelling ability to connect every dot. Anderson has faith enough in himself and the audience to take on a world of immense emotional scope, and he expertly finds the truth in every composite piece of the story.
Just as comedy and thrill coinhabit this film, so do violence and beauty, the latter evident in the film’s aesthetics. With cinematographer Michael Bauman, both West Texas high desert and political protest are gorgeous; a scene in which rebels rush across rooftops during a riot, silhouetted against a plume of fire below, is the visual highlight of the whole film. Composer Jonny Greenwood brings an irony and playfulness to his work, which only fuels the tension onscreen—to say nothing of the main orchestral motif, in which strings suddenly crash into the soundscape so harshly that, at the first hit, I thought there might have been an audio issue.
“One Battle After Another” is a cinematic victory, a tour de force. The technical and dramatic mastery supports the incredibly rich story here, a truly great American narrative. I evidently have much catching up to do with Paul Thomas Anderson’s oeuvre, as he can reach heights like this. Every masterpiece feels unique, and this one is harrowing, hilarious, and heartbreaking. But the sign of a masterpiece is that it lingers, unfurling new layers of itself to you over time, and “One Battle After Another” is absolutely haunting.