Asteroid City

I tried to cast my mind to a time before I didn't see a new Wes Anderson film at the cinema. Not since Moonrise Kingdom have I missed one of his flicks hitting the big screen and I continued that tradition with Asteroid City this afternoon at Bristol's Watershed.

 All the familiar elements are present, the 90 degree framing, dizzying star-studded cast and quirk galore. Though I found this one to be a little more esoteric by design. It plays out like an ode to forgotten playwrights of the 1950's, the creatives burning to produce the next biggest piece of theatre that'll capture the hearts and minds if thousands. But they get blindsided by their own perceived brilliance and create something unwieldy, ramblesome and without audience (minus the talented thespians who seek validation and purpose). To me, this was the driving factor of the film, but the problem about telling a story about an impregnable narrative is that you end up with a film with a story that's hard to get emotionally invested in. Wes is at his peak when he combines his playfulness with heartfelt character moments - Asteroid City has this occasionally but there's a lot of other stuff to wade through to find the heart of it. Though I enjoyed it less than some of his previous works I still recommend it. Fans will continue to adore the production design and cinematography, but I know Wes can be both stlye and substance.