Three Takes On Wes Anderson's Asteroid City

Three Takes On Wes Anderson's Asteroid City - Summit of Cinema

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8 ай бұрын

Kino Kowboy and friends come forth to discuss Anderson's most emotionally complex and metatextual film.
As per Wikipedia, Asteroid City is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson, from a story he wrote with Roman Coppola. It features an ensemble cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan and Jeff Goldblum. Its metatextual plot simultaneously depicts the events of a Junior Stargazer convention in a retrofuturistic version of 1955, staged as a play, and the creation of the play. It is Anderson's homage to popular memory and mythology about extraterrestrials and UFOs witnessed in the Southwestern desert in close proximity to atomic test sites during the postwar period of the American 20th century.
The project was announced in September 2020 as an untitled romance film, with Anderson writing, producing and directing, alongside Jeremy Dawson of American Empirical Pictures and Steven Rales of Indian Paintbrush. In February 2021, it was described as being about a "group of brainy teenagers". Originally set for Rome, filming took place in Spain between August and October 2021, with cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman. Several sets in Chinchón, resembling a desert landscape and a mock train station, were used. Post-production included editor Barney Pilling and a score composed by frequent Anderson composer Alexandre Desplat, featuring country and western songs from many artists. The official title was revealed in October 2021 at the BFI London Film Festival.
Asteroid City premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2023, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It began a limited theatrical release through Focus Features in the United States on June 16, 2023, expanding to a wide release a week later. It grossed $54 million worldwide on a $25 million budget, and received generally positive reviews.

Пікірлер: 51

@papusman 8 ай бұрын

There's so much going on with Asteroid City, this is a really great way to cover it. Not just "HERE'S what Asteroid City is ALL ABOUT," but "here are some of the themes within the film, from different readings." Great video. For me, I tend to think the "pandemic pause" forced Anderson (and Schwartzman and Coppola) into a sort of existential crisis, or at least a reevaluation of what they were doing and why they were doing it. The alien was the pandemic, allowing everyone to slow down and really examine their lives. (As someone with kids, I immediately clocked that the teacher represented school systems everywhere- trying to teach while their kids were all justifiably distracted by the massive elephant in the room.) And so if, as Shakespeare put it, life is a play, then the director was the actors' conduit to God. "What does it all mean?" "Just keep going..." It's humanity's biggest question portrayed through an actor's biggest question, which we were only given time to consider because we were forced to just stop and think. "You can't wake up if you don't fall asleep," indeed.

@imacg5 8 ай бұрын

Like the late great Roger Ebert once said, “It's not what a movie is about, it's how it is about it.” Filmmaking is always about "HOW" it is about it, and I believe Wes Anderson started to grasp this during Fantastic Mr. Fox, and have been honing his masterpiece ever since.

@jeannomoral6323 2 ай бұрын

Best Wes' movie so far: beautiful, funny and really deep. Great video too, thanks!

@ivanhall7748 5 ай бұрын

Loved the film as well as the analysis provided here. Wes Anderson is certainly a great comedy writer. Irony, cynicism, juxtaposition riotously brought together in a story as complex as one wants it to be. Major guffaws!

@annawhiteley3128 6 ай бұрын

If you were ever an actor or worked in live theatre in any capacity- all of this movie makes sense. It probably won't make sense otherwise.

@buildyourownqueer Ай бұрын

THANK YOU

@Mualulu 8 ай бұрын

i loved this movie, there are so many angles you could see it from. very interesting takes!

@buildyourownqueer Ай бұрын

Chlo show, you are a BEAST!!! thank you so much for this analysis. I've always been very involved in theatre and art, started playing in theatre plays early, and read a lot. To me, this movie felt so important in how intimate it got with the relationship between the actors and their roles, their characters, and the scene with "You have to fall asleep to wake up" was it's way to put into--somewhat cryptic--words. I couldn't really put it into words well when discussing it with friends, but you've done an amazing job at it, and I'm so glad your take exists on the internet for us to see. Thank you again, much love

@greenbird3269 7 ай бұрын

The parralels between Midge/Auggie and Jones/Conrad are interesting because there is also the part where Midges daughter finds out and Jones asks: "Did you tell her we were rehearsing". This could be a parallel where maybe Conrads secretary found them; I don't know; it almost feels like they were contemplating how to explain that they were found out.

@chloeshowalter3728 7 ай бұрын

While they’re rehearsing, Midge’s character has died by suicide. Augie says there’s a whole world to see and she replies, “I’ve already seen it.” This is disproven by the arrival of the alien, and this also parallels with his Jones the actor dropped in on Conrad with the same surprise as the alien.

@GIBKEL 8 ай бұрын

This movie must be a Rue Goldberg machine…..each viewer sees something a bit different as it’s what they don’t say between the transitions between the creator, actors in the play, and the following scenes they set up in the film. Different levels of understanding between all of these levels. The message I took from “you can’t wake up, if you don’t fall asleep” was vulnerability. You have to risk for love, for art, for living. If there is no risk, then a depression will sit in and you’ll be unable to risk again. So get off the ground, dust yourself off and live again, recreating the life worth living. I can’t wait to watch it again.

@markfaby3130 7 ай бұрын

RUBE Goldberg.

@GIBKEL 7 ай бұрын

@@markfaby3130 can’t see and I’m all thumbs.

@machiel5888 6 ай бұрын

fantastic video! Asteroid City Is Wes Anderson's best film, as time will no doubt reveal

@antlerbraum2881 7 ай бұрын

I know a lot of people disliked this one and it’s not for everyone but for me it really meant something. It’s obviously self-indulgent but it’s still great and very meta, I won’t pretend to understand the whole movie but it really stuck with me. And I think that’s what the best movies are, ones that you can’t help but think about for days afterwards.

@jeffreyontheway 5 ай бұрын

The photographer burns his hand to wake up. He needed the “sleep” made up of this wilderness of events that was his stagnation and grief or else he would never have burned his hand. Now because of burning himself on purpose, unexpectedly and un-premeditated, he is thus free of his belief in determinism. Romance doesn’t free him like in a Hollywood payoff scene. Pain is how he seeks freedom.

@eliquate 8 ай бұрын

Great video!! Excited to see more.

@van8ryan 7 ай бұрын

This film did something I've never done with a Wes Anderson movie: I literally watched it three times in two days. I was so fascinated by this movie. Sadly, I don't see any of these performances getting any Oscar nods, as I think it's one of Scarlett Johanson's best performances.

@stevechance150 7 ай бұрын

She was better in "Under The Skin".

@van8ryan 7 ай бұрын

@@stevechance150 Agreed: UNDER THE SKIN is her most underrated performance for me.

@slackmo Ай бұрын

Did you just describe Olivia Mothereffing Williams as "homely"?

@CSM100MK2 7 ай бұрын

very interesting analyses, thank you! while i didn't necessarily enjoy watching the film as much as I did the other films, I did think the metaphorical aspects were way more pronounced and trying to make clear statements to the audience. For me, my favorite of his films remain The Royal Tenenbaums, and I wish he would return to a more direct narrative and plot, rather than having every shot every scene every location every character being more phantasm of ideas than actual characters.

@chloeshowalter3728 7 ай бұрын

I would say that The Royal Tenenbaums was almost overwhelming for me in a way with how close you got to the characters. It was almost a relief to watch Asteroid City and have a certain distance between myself and the characters because I do agree that the framing device does distance the audience from the characters.

@CSM100MK2 5 ай бұрын

you're agreeing with a point i didn't make, and responding with a comment that has nothing to do with mine. get a clue you clueless old boor, go back and sit at the kids table until you can keep relevant conversation instead of just speaking (commenting) the first chance you get with no thought or purpose or relevance.@@chloeshowalter3728

@mirandaruiz8340 8 ай бұрын

thanks for sharing! it’s refreshing to see such different themes and perspectives in such a short film

@Kim_Miller 8 ай бұрын

One aspect of the movie I've not seen anyone address is the Leonard Cohen-esque song at the end. Many people will probably have missed it because it plays through the second roll of ending credits - after the Freight Train rendition with the road runner dancing over the road. The Cohen song takes the words, 'You can't wake up if you don't go to sleep' and renders them in the form of one of the songs from Cohen's final album, which is about death and dying. It's as if Anderson wanted to put in one last parody, hidden among the litter blowing down the road of the town after everybody has left the set.

@lanegeorgeton8266 7 ай бұрын

Watched the movie. And honestly just felt like play people having fun. In that way it failed to do anything more

@DylanRodriguez96 8 ай бұрын

@lanegeorgeton8266 7 ай бұрын

Artist are by definition self indulgent . Anderson tells interesting stories with interesting style. But honestly, doesn’t come up in my memory

@AndrewReevesArt 7 ай бұрын

This movie was terrible, but looked beautiful.

@lanegeorgeton8266 7 ай бұрын

Scenes can be beautiful and telling. But why so many layers ? Just tell the actual story. It’s a play. Be honest a direct. If the point is a message.

@user-uu8tx5yj3q 7 ай бұрын

I love Wes Anderson's films, but I did not care for Asteroid City. I consider it the worst film in his oeuvre. Maybe my opinion will change over time as it has with various other films and books.

@42976675 7 ай бұрын

Succinct, compelling,, informative, well supported rationale.

@chloeshowalter3728 7 ай бұрын

I was a little baffled the first time I watched it but the second time with me knowing the framing devices and the plot of play, I could appreciate the story instead of trying to track all the moving pieces. Definitely lends itself to another watch.

@j.r.cilliangreen4083 2 ай бұрын

I loved this film. Might be my favorite of his

@Threetails Ай бұрын

I hated it at first. But after a few months of digesting it I actually have a fond memory of this movie. It's about telling a story that you no longer have any control over. So there are obvious problems like Chekov's guns that never go off.

@lanegeorgeton8266 7 ай бұрын

If this is an allegory for queerness. It’s not helpful. Just tell the story. Too many layers make too many layers. Just tell the story . Men can like men. It’s 2022. Just tell the story. Irony or allegory can actually mess with the story. If this is actually the story

@chloeshowalter3728 7 ай бұрын

Media that is indirect, symbolic, and allegorical takes more effort to engage with. An artistic story wherein the layers of meaning enhance the theme and characterization usually leave the audience thinking rather than feeding them the message. The film played with postmodernism and a bit of meta storytelling, which is people pushing the envelope on how to tell stories. This movie isn’t accessible, but I don’t think that makes it necessarily bad.

@danielamaria6810 3 ай бұрын

My interpretation is because Anderson's aim in this film is not just to give ONE message. Something that can be told with just one story. I saw a comment about how this film is Wes Anderson having too many ideas in his head. And to a certain extent I think this film is him trying to express that situation. Not just the mourning of his characters, but the mourning of his perception as an artist. It's not accessible to everyone, but I don't think it's a failure either because his goal wasn't so much a simple story with a simple message.