By: Erykah Newson, Staff Editor
An unforgettable high-speed vehicle pursuit, nuns that have turned away from their morals, and an intriguing Benicio del Toro sensei who gives viewers the urge to pursue martial arts – all of the above have been intellectually clustered into a single film. Electrifying. Hilariously unsettling. Cinematically vigorous. Undeniably, his highest grossing film to date, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ is a classic action meets heart phenomenon that takes the audience on a life-altering cinematic experience. Without a doubt, this is a movie that upholds a collective positive review. In fact, ‘One Battle After Another’ is such an engaging film that many viewers find it difficult to believe they sat in front of a screen for nearly three hours! Anderson’s film is more than a mere viewing experience; it is an adventure.
These stellar performances within the film are displayed through the eyes of a scattered band of outliers, in which the socially conscious adventure displays a perfect image of sodality submerged in counterculture. Anderson’s genius portrayal of an America closely resembling our reality is what allows the film to be so engaging.
The story surrounds Pat “ghetto Pat” Calhoun, an ex-revolutionary, who leads a less-than-glamorous life raising his maverick daughter, Charlene, off the grid under the aliases Bob and Willa Ferguson. Bob’s semi-settled lifestyle as a paranoid burnout goes awry when Willa is rescued by Deandra, an old comrade and trusted member of the French 75, from her homecoming dance after word gets out that old foe Col. Steven J. Lockjaw is in pursuit of the pair to cover up his interracial relationship with Willa’s mother, Perfidia, in order to secure his spot in an exclusive society of far-right white supremacists called the Christmas Adventurers Club. As Deandra journeys Willa to safety, Willa discovers the truth of her absent mother, while Bob’s own passage consists of outrunning Lockjaw and his men once warned of their pursuit at the last minute by the French 75, as he races against time to save his daughter.
The film is based on a novel by Thomas Pynchon in 1990 called Vineland. Like the film, it’s also set in California, and it follows a group of characters who recount the 1960’s free spirit of rebellion of that decade. The book illustrates the societal shifts in the U.S from the 1960’s to the 1980’s.
Through its relatable setting, there is no need to inform viewers of an exact time period or administration in power – the film’s high-quality content speaks for itself. The characters are strategically chosen to resemble high status figures in our reality as well as portraying the everyday person, allowing us to see ourselves from a third person perspective. The reflection of both literal and figurative freedom, imprisonment, intemperateness, and belonging allows for a vast audience to feel seen. An undoubtable masterpiece, this standard perspective reminds us that the revolution begins and ends within ourselves. No matter how we’ve managed, we must leave room for future generations to carry out upcoming battles the way they see fit. ¡Viva La Revoluciòn!
