Asteroid City is Out of this World
by J. Nagle
Wes Anderson’s newest film, Asteroid City, once again brings together veteran Wes Anderson fans without alienating the new ones it’s surely made. Light spoilers ahead!
When a new Wes Anderson feature releases, there tends to be a sense of curiosity drummed up in the cinephile space, though not in the sense that the film seems confusing. Anderson’s style of marketing and trailers give away his eccentric direction and writing style, but almost never give away crucial twists and plot details worth a spoiler warning online. However, he allows just enough of a plot through in his trailers to let world-building seep through, to craft the environment shown in Asteroid City, thus beginning a curiosity not dissimilar to that of the prodigies shown in the film.
Anderson’s eye for palette control in his films leads to the atmosphere of the titular Asteroid City being one of the more colorful desert towns explored in modern cinema. Half of this job is done incredibly well with the color mixing and set design working together in the town, and the same can be said for costume design. Each character’s clothing has little notes and details that carry over to the next while still feeling distinct from the next. This can be said for both the film’s main narrative in Asteroid City as well as—without giving away too much—the more monochromatic narrative the film opens with.
One theme that both narratives in the film excel with is that of creation. Wes Anderson excels in writing location-as-character screenplays as seen with films such as The Grand Budapest Hotel, which can be seen once again with the titular town in this film. However, the film’s other plot concerning the creation of the Asteroid City play is more character-driven. It feels both meta and not at the same time—bringing together how art and the artist coalesce into one another and coexist. Each component in Asteroid City plays a huge role in its felt authenticity, and each component feels as though it shines outside of the central narrative once the audience gets a feel for how the two stories play off of each other.
The weight and intricacies of the two stories are both things that it takes time for the viewer to get used to, but once adjusted to them, it’s shown how integral the two are to each other. The film brings a great feeling to the idea of living for creation, an idea many filmmakers can feel themselves in.
Asteroid City is playing in theaters now worldwide.