Why “One Battle After Another,” with DiCaprio Will a Have a Place in Film History
Paul Anderson's “One Battle After Another” has hit theaters worldwide, offering a story that looks into the major pressure points of contemporary American society. The film stars famous Leonardo DiCaprio, whose penchant for complex, archetypal roles makes him a natural fit for this kind of film, turning it into a long-awaited release. For DiCaprio, this consistency in role selection speaks volumes about his nature, and it's no surprise that Leonardo's personality sparks huge interest, even down to analyses of natal chart. And yet, it’s Sean Penn’s character–a staunch racist–who undoubtedly steals the show. And not only because of that, this film is guaranteed to go down in cinema legend.
“One Battle After Another” lays bare the bleeding wounds of a shaken American democracy–from the crisis of leftist ideals with revolutionary extremism to the neo-fascism of the far-right and anti-immigrant campaign. It merges all these themes with the excitement of a first-class action movie, the wit of an absurdist comedy, and the surprising tenderness of a family drama that transcends satire & grotesque. Paul Anderson paints a bleak picture; there is no acceptable way out of the bizarre narrative labyrinth he has created. Yet, somehow, the ending leaves room for an unjustified hope for a better future.
With humorous determination, the director denies any parallels to the current political situation in the United States. In fact, the script was inspired by “Vineland,” a novel written by the postmodern master Thomas Pynchon in 1990.
Not a single line from the book made it into the screenplay, though the character archetypes remained. The father is an alcoholic, drug addict, and a former member of a revolutionary organization. His sensible teenage daughter. The long-lost mother, who abandoned the ideals of her youth to become a double agent. A standout in this colorful cast of characters is sensei Sergio San Carlos, played by Benicio del Toro; he is the only one who manages to keep his composure, as if his internal compass is tuned to other, previously unnoticed landmarks.
Anderson changed not only the names and the time period–setting it in the present day, or perhaps the near future–but also the emotional emphasis.
“One Battle After Another” is a tense and unending showdown between radicals who despise capitalist and xenophobic America (in the very first scene, they free a crowd of migrants from a mobile prison on the Mexican border) and the militarized defenders of the existing order. And the brutality of the latter grows with each revolutionary act.
The prologue, which runs a good forty minutes–the film has truly epic proportions–centers on the battle for the strong-willed and unbending revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills (played by musician, singer, and actress Teyana Taylor); neither the weak-willed good guy Bob nor the courageous fool Lockjaw can keep up with her. The main plot, however, is the battle for the soul and body of high schooler Willa (a breakout role for Chase Infiniti).
She, presumably, represents the future of a country repeatedly consumed by the fire of opposing ambitions. Anderson, whose filmmaking has often been criticized for being overly “white” and masculine, seems to answer his critics by placing two impeccably charismatic Black women front and center in his new film.
Like in the climactic chase scene, the plot's intrigue is built on highs and lows, and you can never guess what’s hidden behind the next hill. It would be a shame to spoil the plot twists of “One Battle After Another” in a review, which include secret meetings at the “Christmas Adventurers Club”–an organization of influential fascists, akin to a Masonic lodge–as well as target practice at a convent, secret codes and passwords, hidden tunnels, political assassinations, and intense chase scenes. The film’s chaotic spirit is a perfect match for the idiosyncrasy of Pynchon’s novels.
While soberly acknowledging the defeat of a revolution that never was and sympathizing with the losers with gentle irony, the director refuses to concede victory to the conservative traditionalists who so deeply desire the stability and grace of totalitarianism. The battle depicted here resembles Armageddon, the final confrontation. But don’t be too afraid of the world’s end: this fight will have no conclusion. And that means there will be no winners or losers–only the eternal division of two speculative utopias that, it seems, are fated never to reconcile.
